


Anywhere Can Be Our Galapagos

by Veli



Category: CanEm, Erkenci Kuş (TV)
Genre: Erkenci kus AU, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-28
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2020-10-29 23:47:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 157,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20804984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veli/pseuds/Veli
Summary: Can Divit is a freelance journalist, who has established a name for himself by reporting from hotspots of humanitarian crisis around the world. His family owns a New York-based publishing house and his father has always wanted him to join the family business rather than play Indiana Jones in far off places. But Can has no intention of returning - he has plans of his own involving a small island off the coast of Maine.Sanem Aydin is a brilliant student, finishing her Masters degree in Literature and History at Yale University.  She is originally from Istanbul, Turkey, but after her parents' death in an accident when she was eight, she was sent to live with her aunt and uncle in New York. She dreams of becoming a writer, but her aunt and uncle insist she gets an education first. She has found a mentor and protector in her history professor, and now he has offered her a job for the summer, fact-checking and researching for his latest book. And the best part is: the job comes with her own private cottage on a remote island!





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is an Erkenci Kus AU taking place in the US. Characters are based on Sanem Aydin & Can Divit, and some elements are based on the show but the story is not a continuation of Erkenci Kus.
> 
> The two characters and their amazing love story inspired this story but is has no other relation to the show (although some other familiar characters may pop up along the way).

The small ferry was slow and overcrowded. It was still too early in the season for most people to stay out on deck, and the sitting areas and hallways below deck were packed. Sanem took one look around the stuffy, noisy cafeteria and decided to take her chances outside. 

There was a brisk wind whipping across the water but the sun was out. She made her way towards the front of the ferry and picked out a sheltered spot near the prow. She sat down on the deck with her back against the sun-warmed metal wall of the bridge and tried to relax.  
The sun glinted in the small, choppy waves and the breeze ruffled her hair.  
The engine rumbled below her feet as the ferry adjusted its course and headed straight for a tiny dark smudge just above the horizon. The island.  
She closed her eyes and rested her head against the hard metal, feeling the peeling, white paint catch in strands of her hair as she shifted to get comfortable. 

A shadow blocked out the sun for a second followed by a muffled oath. She opened her eyes and squinted up at a large figure silhouetted against the blue sky.  
“Sorry,” a deep, slightly husky voice mumbled. “Didn’t realize anyone was out here.” Before she could respond the man had turned on his heel and disappeared back down the other side of the ship. 

She shrugged and closed her eyes again. If she concentrated on the warmth of the spring sun on her face, she could almost forget that she was not on vacation. She imagined herself on an adventure to explore the beauty of the uninhabited, rugged islands – not the one in the distance, but the ones she’d always dreamed of visiting. The Galapagos. Even the name sounded magical.  
But the reality was that the remote piece of rock in the distance was to be her home for the next four months. It was not touristy like most of the islands up the coast she’d been warned, mainly because it was a little too isolated for convenience and because the distance from the mainland made the island more exposed to the harsh weather coming in from the Atlantic. But lack of tourists and bad weather didn’t scare her. Besides, during the summer months the risk of bad storms would be at a minimum, right?  
Anyway, she was there to work. Not to go camping and climbing or whatever it was people did in places like this. 

She sighed and opened her eyes. The smudge on the horizon was slowly growing into an island. She pushed to her feet and leaned on the railing, squinting as she tried to make out the shape of the land ahead.

The work part wasn’t bad actually, she reminded herself. It was a good opportunity, and she had been lucky to get it. No, it was the solitude that had her on edge. Spending the summer on the island had seemed like a great idea at first, but the truth was she’d never really been on her own before. Not like this. 

Sanem took a deep breath, and systematically tamped down every little feeling of fear and loneliness. She pulled back her shoulders in defiance. She could do this! She was a grown woman for god’s sake, and it wasn’t like she was going to a deserted island or anything. It was basically like going on extended summer camp. Alone albeit, but with the alone-part came the opportunity to finally have the peace and quiet she needed to start making her own dreams come true.  
With a determined nod to the universe in general, she felt around in her small backpack until she located the battered notebook she always carried with her. She sat down again, her back against the metal wall, and opened the notebook where the frayed end of a pink string was lodged between two pages. She tapped her pen thoughtfully against her front teeth for a moment. Then she bent her head and started writing.

Half an hour later the scratchy speaker system announced that the ferry would dock in fifteen minutes and that passengers should make their way to the car deck below.  
Sanem looked up in surprise. She quickly stuffed her notebook back into her backpack and stood up.  
She made her way back to the stairwell she’d come up and stepped inside. But as the heavy metal door slammed behind her, the contrast between the glaring sunlight outside and the darkness of the unlit stairwell momentarily blinded her. Her foot caught on something in the dark, and she missed the first step on the metal staircase. For a brief, terrifying moment she was free falling. 

Sanem cried out in fear and threw out her arms in an attempt to catch the handrail or anything to stop her fall. But instead of cold metal, her hands struck a wall of warm, solid muscle.  
There was a muffled “oomph!” and then big hands caught her around her waist. She leaned gratefully on her savior as he helped her down the next step so she could regain her balance.  
It was too dark for her to see the man who had stopped her fall. All she could make out was a large silhouette against the faint light from the emergency exit sign below. He was obviously tall, towering over her, even though he stood a step below her on the stairs. And big if the powerful chest she had collided with was anything to go by.

His hands were still on her waist. She looked up, squinting through the darkness, and was about to thank him when it happened. She felt the air shift as he moved, and then warm, firm lips pressed against hers. 

For a moment she was too surprised to move. 

Afterwards she decided it must have been the effect of the darkness or the shock of falling, making her senses work overtime. Why else would she have leaned in and responded to the kiss of a total stranger? But there, in that stairwell, in the darkness, for a brief moment, her entire focus was the feel of those lips moving against hers. The sensation of rough, scruffy stubble against the skin on her face creating a sexy contrast to the softness of his lips, the taste and smell of him at once foreign and familiar. His lips parted and she felt herself respond, the gentle lick of his tongue against her lips sending small electric currents through her. When their lips finally parted, he made a low, mumbled sound, but his hands kept cradling her waist, his forehead brushing lightly against hers, as he lingered, seeming to breathe her in. She was vaguely aware that her hands were clutching his shirt, her body leaning into his. 

A sudden clanging of metal as the ferry started to dock snapped her to back to reality. With a startled gasp she pulled out of the stranger’s grasp, mumbled a ‘thank you’ and fled past him down the stairs to the car deck below. 

She didn’t look back as she pushed through the heavy door at the bottom of the staircase and entered the stream of people making their way to their cars.


	2. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanem is trying to settle in on the island but the encounter with the stranger on the ferry is messing with her head...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side characters are not (intentionally) based on the ones on the show so...new names and people will pop up. If anyone had hoped for a Leyem side-story...this is not where you get it!

”Thank you?” Zoe’s voice over the phone sounded incredulous. ”A guy kissed you and you said ’Thank you’?” Zoe laughed. Sanem could just imagine her sprawled across her big, comfy bed, in her favorite, old sweatshirt, settling in for a long chat.

“I thanked him for catching me of course,” she grumbled. “I mean, he did save me from a nasty fall, so yeah, I thanked him.”  
She was curled up in an easy chair by the bay window in the living room of the cottage she was staying in for the summer. The cottage was snug and comfortable, and the views over the bay below were stunning. But it was also very isolated, and having spend all day yesterday alone, as she settled in to her new home, she’d needed to hear the familiar voice of her best friend. 

Zoe was still chuckling on the other end.  
“You kissed him back though,” Zoe said a little smugly. “When was the last time you kissed a guy? Oh wait, I know – that would be NEVER!”  
“That’s not true,” Sanem protested.  
“Yes it is,” Zoe insisted. “Sanem, sweetie, you’re my best friend and I love you, but when it comes to romance you’re clueless. You know I’ve sometimes wondered if you simply don’t like men,” Zoe speculated conversationally.  
“I’ve kissed a guy!” Sanem insisted. Her friend’s casual dismissal of her love life hit a little too close to home.  
“No,” Zoe said. “You’ve let a guy kiss you, but only…how did you put it? Because it ‘seemed like the polite thing to do’?” Zoe chuckled again. “So no. You haven’t really kissed anyone.”  
“Yeah well, I don’t go around kissing every guy I meet, so what?” Sanem said. “I just don’t do casual kissing.”  
“I’m not talking about casual kissing,” Zoe said. “We’re not in high school anymore. I’m talking about falling in love, having a relationship, kissing that makes your head spin. And other stuff.” Her friend’s voice had taken on a dreamy quality.  
“Well it’s not really something you just decide to do, is it?” Sanem said. “You can’t control whether you fall in love…or not.” 

But if she was being honest, she did actually worry at times that there was something wrong with her. She was 24 years old. Surely she should have fallen in love at least once by now?  
But so far Cupid seemed to have been extremely off his mark when it came to her. No one had sparked an interest yet. Not in high school when all her friends were having different crushes every week. And not in college when her friends had started having serious relationships.  
She’d gone on dates of course. A few guys she’d even dated more than once. But so far the dates hadn’t led to anything more. No skipped heartbeats, no butterflies in her stomach, no sleepless nights.  
And with the lack of romantic interest, she’d never felt particularly inclined to kiss anyone. 

Until now. 

Because ever since the incident on the ferry, it was all she could think about. The mystery man, who’d saved her – and proceeded to turn her world upside down with a kiss.  
She had debated whether or not to tell Zoe at all, because she couldn’t even explain to herself how she felt. How was it possible that a kiss could affect her so much? And moreover a kiss from a man she’d never even seen? And how come she felt like the soundtrack to a hundred Hallmark romance movies were playing on a loop in her head, when she probably ought to be offended that a stranger had kissed her like that without permission? Although, she wasn’t really sure she could complain, considering that she’d definitely kissed him back. It was all so confusing. And if this was love, then maybe she’d be better off without it while she got her life in order! 

“So what are you going to do?” Zoe said.  
“Do?” Sanem said. “About what?”  
“The guy! What are you going to do about the guy you kissed?” Zoe replied with an almost audible eye-roll.  
“Nothing.” Sanem shrugged, forgetting for a moment that Zoe couldn’t see her. “What can I do?”  
“Oh, come on, Sanem!” Zoe whined. “You’re telling me you won’t even try and find him? You kiss a guy – finally - and you’re not even going to try and talk to him?”  
“Zoe, I have no idea who he is!” Sanem said. “I told you, it was dark, I never saw his face. I don’t even know what color his hair is!” Sanem threw up her hands in exasperation. “Even if I wanted to I have no way of finding him short of asking every man I meet if he’s kissed a girl on a ferry recently,” she finished wryly.  
“Uh-uh. Not good enough,” her friend said. “Need I remind you that you’re on an island? There can’t be that many men there, who just arrived on the ferry, and who fit the bill.”  
“What ‘bill’?” Sanem said. “Zoe, I’m not going to do a poll of the entire male population of this island to see who happened to be on the ferry two days ago and caught a girl falling down the stairs!”  
“Well…maybe you won’t have to,” he friend said slowly.  
“What do you mean?” Sanem asked.  
“There’s got to be something about him you remember,” Zoe said eagerly. “Even though you didn’t see him, I’m sure there are some details you can dig out of that total-recall brain of yours.”  
“I don’t know,” Sanem said reluctantly. “It all happened so fast, and you know, with the shock of falling, and then…not falling…” she trailed off.  
“Yeah, yeah, and the kissing, and the ‘thank you’s, and the running away,” Zoe continued cheekily. “I know, but it can’t hurt to try.”  
“Try what exactly?”  
“Okay, how about you close your eyes and go through everything you remember, from the moment you entered that stairwell,” Zoe said. “Just let that magic brain of yours do the work and say out loud whatever pops into your head.”

Sanem sighed and rolled her eyes. She wasn’t about to tell Zoe that she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it since it happened. She remembered a lot of things. Vividly. Strong arms catching her. Her hands on his chest. His hands on her waist. His breath on her cheek. His lips on hers…  
“Sanem?” Zoe’s voice interrupted her thoughts.  
“Yeah, sorry,” she said. “I don’t know if I can remember anything useful.”  
“Well, just try,” Zoe said. “Okay, so you step into the stairwell, you can’t see because it’s dark, then what happens?”  
“I trip over something and start to fall,” Sanem continued. “I’m scared and cry out, but then he catches me. He’s below me on the staircase. He grabs me around the waist to steady me. My hands are on his chest…” Sanem trailed off, once more lost in thoughts of how solid that chest had felt.  
“Okay, good,” Zoe said. “Now think, Sanem. What did his chest feel like? What did his hands feel like?”

Sanem felt her cheeks heat as she recalled the feeling of those big, warm hands resting on her waist. Heat from him seeping through her clothes. And the broad, hard plains of his chest under her palms. Muscled, strong and warm. She could fell his warmth through his shirt.  
“Big,” she said dreamily. “He was big. Tall and strong. His hands were big. His chest was massive.”  
“Nice,” Zoe said appreciatively. “So that already gives you something to go on. Anything else? Did you notice anything about his clothes? His voice?”  
“I already told you Zoe, he didn’t say anything. Except when I fell on him he kind of made a noise, but he didn’t speak.” Sanem chewed her lip for a moment, replaying the incident one more time in her head.  
“He had a beard, or at least a week’s worth of stubble I’d say. I felt it when he kissed me,” she trailed off, unconsciously touching her face as she spoke.  
“Good, this is good Sanem,” Zoe said eagerly. “So a big man, tall, and with some degree of facial hair.” 

For a minute neither of them spoke.  
“You know that pretty much describes every out-doorsy type we’ve ever met, don’t you?” Sanem said quietly. “And if there’s one thing this island isn’t lacking, it’s out-doorsy types.”


	3. Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can is just as confused as Sanem about the ferry-incident and on top of wondering about the mystery woman he kissed, he is struggling with family-issues. He attempts to solve all of it by escaping to his mountain cabin, but finds it's hard to escape your own thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a brief introduction to Can's situation - more action is on its way :-)

It was driving him crazy!   
It happened two days ago and he was still thinking about it. 

Can routinely swerved the jeep around a pothole in the dirt road leading up the mountain. Far below to his right the ocean glittered in the afternoon sun. To his left the forest-covered mountain rose steeply.

The part that really bugged him was that he still had no idea why he’d done it. He’d been heading back up on deck to look for the logbook that must have fallen out of his pocket when he was enjoying the peace and quiet, away from the crowds below deck. He had been half way up the dark staircase when the door had opened, a girl had stepped in, and fallen directly into his arms – literally.   
He’d just meant to steady her and move past her, but something had made him linger.   
It had been too dark for him to see more than her silhouette, but he could still feel her hands pressed against his chest, and the way her waist and the slight curve of her hips fit into his hands where he was cradling her. He remembered the soft sound she made, when she collided with him. 

And her scent. Her unusual, intriguing scent that hit him harder than her body when she fell on him… 

So instead of letting her go, he’d taken his time to make sure she was steady on her feet, hoping to get another whiff of her perfume.   
She’d leaned on him for support and when she’d lifted her head… He still didn’t know what had possessed him to do it, but he’d kissed her! A total stranger. A girl whose face he had never even seen. He’d simply leaned down and kissed her. And not just a peck on the lips either. A real kiss. 

The road curved and the view of the ocean below disappeared behind him. Can frowned as his thoughts kept circling around the mystery-girl from the ferry.   
The thing that puzzled him even more than his own reaction, he decided, was the fact that she’d kissed him back! He was lucky she hadn’t slapped him, or yelled bloody murder. But she hadn’t. She’d kissed him back and he still couldn’t believe how right it had felt. Her lips had been soft and warm, a little hesitant at first, but then she’d leaned into him. 

Can automatically touched the spot where her hands had fisted in his shirt, as he’d deepened the kiss. 

But just when he’d realized that they had skipped a few necessary steps and that they better introduce themselves properly, she’d pulled away and run off with a whispered ‘thank you’ - and that was it! She was gone, leaving him in the dark with nothing but that haunting scent of wildflowers and something else he couldn’t quite put his finger on.   
And now he couldn’t stop thinking about her. 

Can muttered an oath and slammed the car into a lower gear as the incline got steeper. The engine growled and the tires dug into the dirt, but it scaled the last stretch of road easily. The car was built for this kind of terrain. At the end of the dirt track he parked the jeep before grabbing his backpack and a couple of carrier bags from the back. He continued on foot for another fifteen minutes, across a small meadow and through a copse of birch trees. He followed a faint footpath around a big boulder and entered a small clearing. The log cabin sat by a small stream, protected from the worst of the winter storms by the rock wall behind it. This was his secret hideout. The place he went to think and be alone. He always felt calmer as soon as he entered this space. Strictly speaking he didn’t need it now that his uncle had left him the main house down by the bay. But he still loved coming up here. No one knew the exact location of his cabin, so whenever he wanted to be alone, this was where he came.  
But today the nervous energy he’d felt ever since the incident on the ferry just wouldn’t go away. 

He quickly unpacked the provisions he’d brought, and headed back outside to chop some wood for the fireplace before it got dark. Not that he really needed more firewood. The woodshed was already stacked high. But he needed the physical activity.   
He needed to do something to take his mind off that girl… 

Twenty minutes later he’d managed to chop so much wood it no longer fit under the roof of the shed. He had worked up a sweat and he had more wood than he’d likely be able to use all summer.   
But his head was still full of her.

With a mumbled oath he dropped the axe in the long grass next to the chopping block and started piling wood in the fireplace basket to carry inside.   
‘Maybe I’m going crazy,’ he thought. ‘Or maybe this is simply a case of a guilty conscience playing games with my mind?’  
He picked up the heavy basket, carried it inside and started stacking wood next to the fireplace.   
Yeah, it made sense. Kissing that girl had been so out of character for him, he was almost as shocked at himself as she must have been. If only he had a way of finding this girl, he could easily put the incident behind him, he decided. All he needed was to see her, so he could apologize for what happened.  
Can automatically started building a fire in the grate.   
The only problem with that solution, of course, was that he had absolutely nothing to go on, he realized. Except for her scent and he was pretty sure he’d get in much more serious trouble if he started sniffing every woman he passed!  
He lit a match and watched as the kindling caught fire and bright flames starting licking up the carefully stacked pieces of wood.   
With a frustrated sigh, he wiped his hands on the thighs of his jeans and went back outside to put away the axe. 

***  
The sun was setting and had just disappeared behind the trees. The small clearing and the surrounding woods were bathed in golden light, the air was pleasantly cool and smelled like pine, sea and damp earth. He should have felt perfectly content and at peace.   
But he didn’t.  
Can kicked a small rock into the stream and watched as the rings in the water grew and then faded. 

He did have a good reason for being up here, he tried convincing that annoying little voice in the back of his head. He had a lot on his mind at the moment, even without the complication of the ferry-girl. His normally free and uncomplicated life was a bit of a mess right now. The pressure from his father to come back to New York and take over the business was building, and he was side-stepping demands from both family and work, while trying to pull together his own plan for the future.   
So rather than waste time stopping by his house down by the bay, he’d come straight up here from the ferry, not even stopping for supplies.   
Which was why he’d been forced down the to the village this afternoon. 

He sighed and rolled his neck to release the tension. 

And now, on top of his confused feelings about the girl, and the pressure from his dad, he had a nagging feeling that he was letting his old friend and tenant, Professor Hawes, down by hiding out up here.   
The professor rented a small cottage that belonged to Can’s property. He had been a good friend of his uncle, and Can had known him forever. When Professor Hawes had mentioned that his research assistant would be staying in the cottage over the summer, Can had readily agreed to help the guy out with any practical issues he might have as he settled in down at the cottage. The research assistant was supposed to arrive on the same ferry that brought Can home two days ago, but so far Can hadn’t been back to the house – or checked on the professor’s summer guest. 

He ran both hands through his hair and hooked them behind his neck. Staring unseeingly at the ground he decided he’d played hooky long enough.   
It was time to head back to the house and look in on his guest.   
With a last look towards the darkening forest he went back inside the cabin and started pulling out ingredients for a quick meal.


	4. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanem has settled into the cottage and started work, but is curious to meet her absent landlord - the professor's old friend hasn't been home since she arrived and she's starting to feel a little weird about living in his house without ever meeting him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so they meet again ....but things are not as either of them thought.

Sanem pulled the carafe out from the coffee maker mid-brew. She routinely slipped a paper towel under the drip to catch the rogue drop that always seemed to slip out in spite of the drip-lock. Mornings were never her most patient time. She filled her mug and replaced the carafe back on the hotplate to finish percolating. She took the first sip, closed her eyes and felt herself relax. The dark, rich aromas of the French roast blend worked their magic as always. 

Humming happily she pushed through the screen door to the front porch. She leaned on the railing and gazed out over the rolling waves in the bay below as she sipped her coffee.  
The day promised to be fine, but that could change quickly she’d already learned. Weather on the island was unpredictable to say the least. But she didn’t mind. She loved grey and windy days as much as sunny and balmy ones. Weather wasn’t dictating her life. She just rolled with whatever nature decided to dish out. The luxury of being a writer, she thought a little smugly. Or trying to become one, she corrected herself. 

Breathing in the salty air, she let herself imagine living like this for real. Not just for the few months she’d been granted, but to actually live like a writer, full time - and maybe in a place like this.  
The house she was staying in was fairly isolated out here on the last spit of land before the cliffs and trees took over. She had worried about the isolation the first couple of days, but found that she was actually enjoying the complete freedom it was giving her.  
The Cottage was a thirty-minute walk from the small fishing village and fifteen minutes just to get to the closest neighbor – not counting the one house sitting right next to hers. The two houses were built on a small plot of land on a windy hilltop right above the sandy part of the beach. The view from her front porch was spectacular but she was sure the winter storms would be fierce out here. 

And the remote location had the benefit of peace and solitude. She silently applauded Professor Hawes’ landlord for choosing the location. She took another sip of coffee and followed the flight of a lone seagull, hovering over something in the bigger swells where the bay met open water.  
With a small shake of the head she tore her eyes away from the scenery in front of her to check her watch. 7.30. It was time to get started and focus on today’s schedule. 

As she headed back inside she automatically glanced at the house next door. The main house, as the Professor had described it. Her own little cottage was built as a guesthouse adjacent to the main house, and was a small-scale version of the main building. The two houses were a few hundred feet apart, separated by a stretch of uneven ground with several craggy rock protrusions, low withered vegetation that seemed to cling to the rocky ground and a couple of weathered, gnarly trees.  
Some guy, who was an old friend of the professor’s owned the property. Professor Hawes just rented the guesthouse as a writing retreat and summer cottage he’d explained, when he suggested she use it while he was away teaching at Oxford for the summer term. He’d mentioned that the owner was ‘freelancing’ – whatever that meant - and living in the main house whenever he wasn’t on a job. It had sounded to Sanem like a sort of retirement-volunteer-thing, but she hadn’t asked.  
All she knew was that the old man was her landlord while she was there and the professor had said that any problem she might have, Can – as the old man was called – would fix for her. 

Which was all fine and good, she thought, but she’d been here for three days now and had still to see signs of life in the house next door. She’d asked around casually in the small village when she’d been in for supplies, and had learned that Can – Can Divit to be precise – was off on hiking and camping trips a lot. Apparently the old man was still fit enough to enjoy the great out doors and was taking advantage of the summer to get a lot of camping in, she figured, slightly envious. She would be spending the summer with her nose stuck in books and computer screens. But, she reminded herself, at least she’d be here with the glorious beauty of northern Maine literally on her doorstep, and every minute not spent working she resolved to spend exploring this beautiful island. 

But for now it was time to get on with more mundane matters. Today was research day and she had a lot to get through. 

***

It was late afternoon when she first saw him. She was taking a break from work, soaking up the bright spring sun, snuggled under a blanket in a lounge chair in a sheltered corner of the front porch. The warmth of the sun on her face and the soothing sound of waves crashing on the beach below were making her drowsy. She was about to dose off, when something – an unfamiliar noise maybe – made her look towards the main house, just in time to see a stranger stroll casually around the corner of the house.

The surprise of seeing another human being out her made her sit up straight, all drowsiness chased away. Her first thought was that her landlord had finally decided to make an appearance. But on closer inspection the stranger did not fit her landlord’s description at all.  
For one thing, this man was too young. 

Sanem parted the branches on the bushes sheltering the side of the porch, to get a better look at the stranger. The man was tall and well built - not in a bodybuilder type of way, she decided, but solid somehow. He had broad shoulders, and a muscled back that tapered down to a narrow waist. His hair was a mahogany brown and just long enough to be tied back in a sort of half bun. His face was covered in what looked like a few weeks worth of stubble. He was too far away for her to really make out his features, but she was certain she hadn’t seen him in the village before.  
The man appeared to be checking out the main house, and having ascertained that it was empty, he started towards the shed behind the house, walking with long, purposeful strides. 

Odd, Sanem thought with a frown. 

A silent alarm went off in her head as she watched him. This man was not her absent landlord - that much was evident. So why was he sneaking around behind the house instead of knocking on the front door like a normal visitor? There was definitely something shady about this guy, she thought.  
As if on cue, the man looked around carefully. Checking that no one was watching, she thought with a frown.

The scraggly, windblown bushes growing along the side of the cottage hid her from view, but Sanem still couldn’t help the impulse to hide. She crouched further down in her chair, but the man obviously hadn’t seen her. He continued exploring next door as if he had every right. 

The man reached the shed, and without hesitation started wrestling with the wooden door. She knew from personal experience that those doors didn’t open easily, but he managed to wrench them open with apparent ease, eliciting a shriek of protest from hinges that were permanently rusted, courtesy of the salty air.  
The guy didn’t even flinch at the sound, she noticed. Apparently he wasn’t nervous about being detected. Which made sense, considering how far they were from the nearest neighbors - a fact that suddenly didn’t rate as high on her plus-list about this place.  
If she hadn’t happened to be in the guest cottage no one would know that this rough-looking stranger was breaking and entering. And no one was going to do anything about it unless she did, she realized with rising alarm.  
Okay, so he hadn’t exactly broken anything yet, she conceded, but he had entered the shed. And he definitely did not belong there. 

What should she do? Sanem chewed her bottom lip, debating her options.  
On the one hand, calling the local sheriff seemed a bit drastic based solely on the fact that a strange man had walked into her neighbor’s woodshed.  
On the other, she didn’t feel right just sitting here while a potential burglar had free run of her landlord’s house.  
Maybe she had better go and investigate some more before alerting the authorities, she decided. There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation for why this man was here – after all this was a small island community and Professor Hawes had mentioned that people were very helpful around here. Of course when he’d said that, he’d meant that she shouldn’t be shy about asking for directions and stuff – not that people were habitually walking in and out of each other’s sheds without asking permission.  
But she felt somewhat protective of this place. She was here as a guest, and even if she had yet to meet the owner, she felt a need to at least make sure his house was still standing when he finally returned from wherever he was holed up.

Resolutely she stood up, and looked around for some sort of weapon - just in case the stranger next door turned out to be of the not so friendly variety.

The Professor wasn’t exactly the militant type, so the best she could do on short notice was to grab the antique-looking tennis racket she’d seen stashed in the hall closet. 

Armed with the old wood-framed racket Sanem crept down off the front porch of the cottage and slowly moved towards the wood shed behind the main house.  
She could see the door to the shed was pushed wide open, but it faced away from the cottage and she couldn’t actually see the inside of the shed as she approached. But on the up-side that meant the stranger couldn’t see her either.  
Whatever the stranger was doing inside the shed was making a lot of noise, she noticed, gripping the racket more tightly. Her palms felt sweaty and the phrase ‘her heart was in her throat’ suddenly made so much more sense to her – she felt like she was practically choking on her own heartbeat, and the blood pumping through her veins created a roaring in her ears.  
It didn’t drown out the loud noises emanating from the shed, though. Confident that the intruder was still unaware of her existence, Sanem pressed against the wall of the shed, slowly inching towards the open door. It sounded as if the guy was throwing stuff around in there. Loud banging and crashes were accompanied by liberal use of swearwords. Suddenly a tire iron came flying out the door. It landed with a thud in the long, dry grass a few feet away.  
More shuffling and grunting came from inside, and something banged hard against the wooden wall at her back.  
The vibrations through the wall jolted her into action. This had gone on entirely too long, she decided. It was time to announce her presence and demand an explanation from the stranger in the shed. 

Sanem was just about to step out in front of the open door and confront whoever was inside, when the guy walked out, casually wiping his hands on the thighs of his cargo pants. He had his back turned towards her so she still couldn’t get a good look at his face, but as he bent to pick up the tire iron she had a magnificent view of his backside – which she silently acknowledged was well worth ogling. But now wasn’t the time for that, she quickly reprimanded herself, gripping the tennis racket tightly.  
This guy was clearly about to make a move on the house, and she had to stop him! Full of righteous determination – but without any clear idea of how she was going to stop a man twice her size – Sanem rushed at him, tennis racket raised, yelling at the top of her lungs.

Afterwards Sanem couldn’t say exactly what happened next. Things got a bit fuzzy after her initial war cry. Time seemed to slow down and speed up at the same time. All she knew was that one minute she was on her feet, running towards the would-be burglar, shouting an authoritative ‘Hey!’ and the next she was flat on her back in the grass, pinned down by a giant with startling amber-brown eyes.  
Eyes that were shooting angry daggers at her, she noticed, as he wrestled the tennis racket from her hand, while easily holding her in place. 

***  
“Who the hell are you?” the giant snapped, eyes flashing. “And what do you think you’re doing jumping me like that?” He tightened the hold on her wrist as if for emphasis.  
“What were you thinking, lady? You could have gotten seriously hurt!”  
‘Wait, what?’ Sanem thought in confusion. She was the one who’d jumped him with a racket at the ready and he was worried about her getting hurt?  
But she quickly dismissed the thought. His solid weight was holding her firmly in place, and he showed no sign of letting her up.

“Get off me!” she snapped. “And what do you mean ‘who am I’?” She wriggled uselessly in an attempt to dislodge him, but he didn’t budge.  
“I think the pertinent question here is, ‘who are you?’”  
She glared at him from beneath the strands of hair that had fallen over her eyes as she wrestled with him. The man seemed to be assessing her but he didn’t speak.  
“I happen to know the old guy who owns this house, and you’re not him!” She shot him a defiant look as she struggled against his hold on her wrists, anger winning out over fear.  
“Oh really?” he said. His voice was deep and slightly gravelly – and deceptively soft. But she could practically feel the cold steel underneath. “And how do you know the owner if I may ask?” The small, amused smirk now playing around his lips did nothing to lessen her annoyance.  
“I happen to live in the cottage next door.” Sanem had to bite her lip to keep from sticking her tongue out at him in a childish gesture of defiance.  
“That cottage?” he said, indicating the guesthouse. She gave a curt nod, but didn’t elaborate.  
“Sweetheart, I don’t think so,” he laughed. “See, I just happen to know that the tenant of the cottage next door is an elderly, grey-haired, professor of history at Yale – and you’re not him!” he continued, in a mocking imitation of her. His eyes roamed over her face as he spoke.  
“And just so you know,” he continued pleasantly, “the reason I know this, is that I’m the owner of both houses and the Yale professor just happens to be an old friend.” He raised an eyebrow at her, challenging her to come up with a better story. 

Momentarily lost for words Sanem just glared at him angrily from under the veil of her own hair.  
“So I think we’re back to my original question,” he said in an almost bored tone of voice.  
“Who the hell are you and why are you attacking me with a…” he paused to stare at the ‘weapon’ lying in the grass beside them. “A tennis racket?” he finished, once again pinning her with a steely glare.

But Sanem was too busy processing what he’d just said to take notice of his threatening demeanor.  
It started to dawn on her that she might have made a mistake. That maybe – possibly - she had just attacked the man in whose house she was hoping to live rent-free for the next 4 months.  
“You’re Can Divit?” she asked carefully.  
The man just raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to answer.  
“But…Professor Hawes said that the owner of the house was an old friend of his, retired or something,” she heard herself protest. “And, no offense, but you don’t really look retired.” She studied his face more closely – or tried to as best she could from behind her hair.  
“You don’t feel very retired either,” she mumbled to herself, as the dilemma of her situation sunk in. 

She squinted up at him, to try and gauge his mood.  
He didn’t look quite as murderous anymore, she thought.  
And then his lips twitched slightly as if he was fighting a laugh.  
Was he laughing at her? Seriously? The nerve of the guy! Here she was defending his property and he was laughing at her? Any fleeting remorse Sanem may have felt for trying to tackle her maybe-landlord, went out the window, and she started struggling in earnest to free herself. 

“You can get off me now,” she snapped, helplessly pulling against the steely strength of his grip. His only reply was an impertinent grin.  
“You should be thanking me, not assaulting me, you know,” she grunted, wriggling her hips to try and buck him off.  
“Thanking you?” he asked incredulously. “For coming at me with a tennis racket? I don’t think so, Honey,” he chuckled. But he did finally roll off her and stand up. He towered over her for a second before offering her his hand. Reluctantly she placed her hand in his. A slight shiver ran up her arm at the feel of his callused hand against the skin of her palm. 

He pulled her to her feet easily and watched in amusement as she dusted herself off.  
“You still haven’t explained why you tried to club me,” he said. “So unless you explain yourself I think I’ll be the one pressing charges.”  
“I thought you were a burglar,” she explained defensively.  
“Sneaking around the house like that? Rummaging in the shed for tools to break in?” she indicated the tire iron that he’d dropped when he fended off her attack. “What was I supposed to think?” she asked indignantly.  
“You,” he said, “are not supposed to be here at all!” He gave her a hard look.  
“I don’t know who you are,” he continued, studying her in a pretty insolent way, she thought. “But I know damn well, that you are not the guy currently living in my guest cottage.”  
Before she could explain herself, he continued.  
“My friend’s research assistant – a guy named Sam Aydin or something like that – is staying in the cottage over the summer.” He shot her another pointed look.  
“And you are very obviously NOT a man”. His eyes roamed over her in a way that made her feel oddly confused. “So from where I’m standing, you’re the one who has some explaining to do.” He folded his massive arms across his chest, waiting for her to admit defeat.  
Sanem was momentarily distracted by the bulging muscles of those arms. She wondered briefly how it would feel to be held by them – as opposed to being wrestled to the ground! Whoa! Where did that come from! She shook her head, quickly banishing the unwelcome thought and took a deep breath.  
When she looked at him again his smug expression almost made her snap, but she managed to tamp down her impulse to lash out.  
With an effort she wiped the scowl off her face.  
“Hi,” she said, offering him a sugary sweet smile. “I’m Sanem Aydin. It’s so nice to finally meet you, Mr. Divit.”


	5. Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can's summer guest is not at all what he expected - and they're not off to the best start...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second half of the first meeting - then we pick up on the action front ;-)

“You’re Sam Aydin?”   
Can skeptically eyed the dark-haired pixie in front of him.   
Nope! He thought. The pixie was small statured with delicate features and wavy dark hair. And she was definitely all woman. And also definitely not what he’d expected an elderly history professor’s research assistant to look like.

“Sanem,” the pixie offered. “My name is Sanem.”  
“You’re Professor Hawes’ research assistant, Sam…sorry, Sanem Aydin?” he asked again, still expecting her to clear up this obvious misunderstanding.   
But the pixie just smiled and nodded enthusiastically.  
Great! So he’d just manhandled the professor’s assistant who – it would appear – had actually tried to help…even though he very much doubted she would have been able to do much against an actual burglar. 

And even better…this meant that his tenant for the next four months was a woman!   
Not that he had a problem with women in general, but he had no desire to spend the entire summer playing handy-man and knight in shining armor to a damsel in distress. And he had no doubt she would turn out to be in need of both. She had city girl written all over her, and to add insult to injury she was an academic! And if the professor was anything to go by, academia seemed to rob otherwise fully functioning adults of even the most basic survival skills.   
With an inward groan Can saw his carefully laid summer plans crumble in front of him. As idyllic as the cottage seemed on a fine spring day like today, he knew only too well how rough it could get at a moments notice when the weather changed, when the electricity cut out, when the roads were impossible to travel, when they got cut off from the world for days at a time. She’d be depending on him to fix the temperamental generator whenever it decided to take a break. She’d need him to fetch firewood, remove spiders and just generally save her from all the inconvenient intrusions of nature that was invariably part of life on the island – and in the cottage in particular.

This was so not what he had signed up for!   
He’d expected an academic, true, but a man – a more mature man. Someone he could – with a reasonably clear conscience - leave to fend for himself for weeks at a time when he went camping in the mountains.   
But he couldn’t just tell this waif of a woman to buckle up and deal with things while he was gone. She didn’t look capable of carrying firewood from the shed to the cottage on her own, much less chopping it first! And he could just imagine how helpless she’d be when the first storm cut the power and she’d be stuck with nothing but candlelight and the fireplace for warmth. 

This was so not good! 

His surprise and dismay must have been easily readable on his face, because the pixie was now openly enjoying having pulled the rug out from under him.   
Can silently cursed the professor. Then he cursed himself for not thinking to ask more questions about his tenant’s summer guest. It just hadn’t occurred to him that the professor would send a woman out here all by herself. Much less a woman who looked like she’d faint at the sight of a field mouse.   
He distractedly pulled at the short beard that was forming on his chin after a few weeks in the wilderness.   
“Right, okay. You’re not exactly what I expected,” he mumbled, not quite sure what to do next.   
“I’d say we both had different expectations,” the pixie agreed drily. Her cheeks turned a darker shade of pink and she suddenly seemed very focused on tracing a pattern in the dust with the toe of her sneaker-clad foot. 

Can took the opportunity to study her a bit more closely. He noticed chestnut reflexes in her dark brown hair when she turned her head and the sun hit it differently. Her face looked fresh and make-up free, with a delicate bone structure, a button nose and full pink lips that bore no trace of lipstick. She was looking away from him, but with surprising ease he recalled a pair of almond shaped, chocolate brown eyes, glaring up at him in anger.   
And there was something else.  
Something about her triggered a faint memory but he couldn’t quite pin it down. 

The girl…Sanem, he reminded himself, looked up. She was chewing her bottom lip and seemed to be debating something with herself. He watched as different emotions flitted over her face. She had a very expressive face and he almost felt sorry when she seemed to reach some sort of decision.  
“Look, I really am sorry I tried to club you with the racket,” she said. “I was just trying to keep your house from being burgled while you were gone. You have to admit it seemed kind of suspicious.” She glanced up at him from under that slightly messy tumble of dark hair. He caught a flash of warm brown eyes before she looked away again.  
Then she frowned as if a thought occurred to her.   
“Why were you sneaking around back here in stead of going in the front door?” she asked.   
“I wasn’t sneaking around,” Can said, mildly offended by her description.   
“My jeep had a flat tire about half a mile down the road, and I didn’t have the necessary tools with me, so I hiked back here to get them. I was on my way back there to change the tire when you jumped me.”  
“Oh! I see,” she mumbled. “I guess that makes sense too…”

There was an awkward pause while both of them seemed to consider what to do next. 

“Well then,” she finally said. “I won’t keep you any longer. I’d better get back to work anyway.”   
She shot him a final questioning look, but before he had time to say anything else she turned on her heel and strode back towards the cottage. He watched her walk away, arms swinging and hair blowing in the wind. 

For some reason Can had the impression she was trying hard not to break into a run to get away from him.

***

Can stood staring after her, until she disappeared out of view behind the corner of the cottage. He couldn’t decide if he’d just been a complete ass. 

He had never been particularly shy about expressing his opinion, or afraid of confrontation, but he had always prided himself on being fair.   
And yet he had been a tad rough with the professor’s assistant, he acknowledged. His reaction might have been just a teeny bit overkill considering the offense. 

With a shrug he tried to shut down those thoughts. He turned on his heel and went to shut the door to the woodshed.   
‘She was the one who jumped me,’ he mumbled to himself, as he bent to pick up the tire iron.   
But the little voice in the back of his head kept nagging him that he might have overdone the whole gruff interrogation-thing a bit. 

Still, he couldn’t help smiling to himself as he recalled their tussle.

When he’d walked out of the shed and someone had rushed at him screaming like a banshee, his initial reflex had been to swipe the legs from under her and take control. But he hadn’t even caught hold of her before realizing that there was no actual danger, and he’d made sure to shield her head so she wouldn’t get hurt, as he took her down. 

Why he’d gone through with the take-down at all, he didn’t really want to consider. And he wasn’t even going to try to explain why he’d proceeded to keep her on the ground while he questioned her.   
Except that he’d found her attempts to get free entertaining.   
The thought of her annoyed expression as she glared up at him through her hair made him chuckle again. Maybe she wasn’t quite as helpless as he had initially thought. She sure had determination!

But the thought of her face that close to his own, strands of her dark hair blowing in the wind, tickling his cheek, once again triggered that almost-memory. 

Can stopped in his tracks, and stared unseeingly out over the bay.   
Something about her had felt familiar, but he couldn’t for the life of him think what.   
He felt certain he’d never seen her before. He was sure he’d have remembered. She wasn’t flashy in a big-hair-and-make-up kind of way, but there was no denying that she was beautiful. She had a face you’d remember. 

He frowned at his own confused thoughts and started walking again.   
Everything in his life felt uncharacteristically off kilter, he thought. And it had been that way ever since he came back from the city.   
He sighed and picked up speed. He’d better get going if he wanted to get back to the jeep, change the tire and get back to the house before dark.   
He’d think about how to handle his summer guest later.


	6. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanem worries what her first - slightly unfortunate - meeting with her landlord is going to cost her. But a storm is coming...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably an obvious development...but sometimes these things are meant to be :-)

Sanem slammed the door behind her and leaned back against it, breathing hard.   
“Crap,” she muttered covering her face with her hands.   
What on earth had possessed her to do that? Why did she go over there in the first place? Why had she thought it a good idea to try and take on a presumed intruder by herself? What had she been thinking?  
And now she might have ruined everything. Her summer job and writing plans could very well be down the drain the minute her hard-bodied landlord got back from picking up his car, and got around to calling her boss with the news of her assault on him.  
“Crap, crap, crap!”

The chirping of her cell phone interrupted her spiraling panic. She pushed off the door and went in search of the device.   
She located the phone in the kitchen, under a stack of papers by the coffee maker. Her best friend’s smiling face on the display announced who the caller was. 

“Zoe!” Sanem exclaimed as she sank down on one of the yellow-painted wooden chairs in the kitchen nook. “Do you have a sixth sense or something?”   
“Why, what happened?” The sound of Zoe’s voice instantly made her feel calmer. Sanem closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  
“Oh, nothing much,” she said airily. “Unless you count my recent attack on my landlord, which has very likely cost me this job and my summer residence. Or at least I’m sure it will as soon as he talks to the professor!” Sanem groaned at her own stupidity.   
“Woah! Back up a bit,” Zoe said. “What happened exactly? Tell me from the beginning and don’t leave out any details.”  
Sanem took a minute to organize her thoughts. Then she started talking. 

***

“You what?” Zoe interrupted. “Tell me you were not seriously trying to take on a potential burglar on your own?”  
“Well…” Sanem said, feeling a little sheepish. “It all happened so fast. There’s no way anyone would have gotten out here in time to help, and …besides, I’m new here and I didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot with the locals by setting the police on one of the neighbors, you know?” She cringed at her own words. When she said it out loud like that she had to admit it sounded really dumb.   
“So you thought you’d whack the guy over the head with a racket in stead? I’m sure that would have gone over much better with the locals!” Zoe’s said wryly.   
“It wasn’t like that exactly,” Sanem protested weakly. “And anyway, as it happened I never even got close to whacking anybody. He tackled me first.”   
“He did what?” Zoe’s voice seemed to travel up several octaves.   
“Yeah, I’m not entirely sure how that happened either” Sanem said. “It all got a little fuzzy at that point.”  
“Sanem! Sweetie, are you all right? Did he hurt you?” Zoe’s concern was palpable even over the phone.   
“Why does everyone worry about me getting hurt?” Sanem asked irritably. “I’m the one who jumped him.”  
“Sanem!” Zoe had her serious voice on now. “Did he hurt you?”  
“No!” she said. “No, he didn’t hurt me. In fact, he kind of yelled at me because he thought he could have hurt me…” she trailed off in confusion.   
“Huh.”   
There was as slight pause. 

“So to sum up, you tried to whack him, he took you down in stead – and then what?” Zoe asked.   
“Well, then nothing,” Sanem said. “Except that my Neanderthal of a landlord is quite possibly making sure I’m on the next ferry back to the mainland as we speak.” She sighed audibly. 

Zoe was quiet for a moment, digesting the story.   
“Right,” she finally said. “So maybe you’re not off to the best start, but it’s not necessarily a total disaster. I mean, no harm, no foul, right?” Zoe sounded like she was trying to convince herself.   
Sanem rolled her eyes. 

“So what’s he like anyway,” Zoe abruptly changed the subject.   
“Who? My landlord?” Sanem thought about it for a second.  
“Hard to tell really,” she said. “He looks like an out-doorsy type. And he didn’t seem super thrilled that I turned out to be a woman.”  
“Hence the Neanderthal-comment, I presume,” Zoe mumbled.   
“I think he might be a bit of a bully,” Sanem thought out loud. “Although to be fair that could also be because I’d just attacked him.”   
“So your typical old misogynist, huh?” Zoe chuckled. “Well, let’s just hope he goes camping a lot in stead of making you his next retirement project.” 

“Yeah, about that. I kind of got that part wrong,” Sanem said reluctantly.  
“What part?”  
“The part about him being old and retired. Or at least the old-part. He’s probably not much older than us.”   
“Really?” Zoe sounded like that was the best news ever. Sanem felt inclined to disagree.   
“What does he look like?” Zoe asked eagerly.

An image of a Herculean, dark-haired adventurer-type, with a few weeks worth of beard and dark brown eyes that glinted amber in the sunlight popped up in her head.   
Her new neighbor looked like trouble to her.

“He’s… big,” she said hesitantly.   
Zoe said nothing.  
“He’s quite good-looking I suppose,” she grudgingly admitted. “Tall, dark hair, very muscular.”   
She paused as she recalled his mischievous grin as he’d resisted her attempts to get free.   
“He has a nice smile…when he’s not laughing at me that is,” she added. 

She wasn’t about to mention that the guy had the sort of face that could make a girl’s heart stop, or that for a second there, while he had her flat on her back, and that perfect face hovered just centimeters above hers, she’d wondered what it would feel like to kiss him. Crazy. 

“I see,” Zoe said. There was a meaningful pause. “So, first you fall into the arms of the mystery man on the ferry and now you’re living next door to Tarzan?”   
Sanem snorted with laughter.   
“More like a slightly more civilized version of Aquaman - except with clothes,” she giggled.   
Zoe made a moaning sound.   
“But basically you’re knee-deep in hot guys out there,” Zoe continued thoughtfully. “Sounds like I need to get myself out to that island of yours!”  
“Yes!” Sanem agreed eagerly. “Please come and visit. Not for the men, I mean, but I’d love the company. Please?”  
“I’ll see what I can do,” Zoe promised with a laugh, before turning the conversation to life in the city. 

***

Dusk had fallen while she was on the phone with Zoe, and when she disconnected, the sudden silence in the small cottage made the sound of the wind outside seem unnaturally loud.   
Sanem frowned and went to look out the window. Below, through the gloom of early evening, she saw that the bay had turned into a writhing mass of white-topped waves and in the horizon a massive wall of dark clouds was building. It looked like she was about to experience her first storm on the island.   
The first drops of rain had already started falling and the atmosphere felt charged somehow. From what she’d heard, storms out here could get fierce but this time of year they usually weren’t long-lived. Still, she thought she’d better make sure all the windows were securely fastened and that she was ready in case of a power outage.

Happy to have something to take her mind off of her landlord and what he may and may not do to her, Sanem set to work. 

She turned on a few lights and started looking through drawers for candles and matches. She had already made sure she had plenty of wood stacked next to the fireplace, so she wouldn’t get cold if the power went out.   
Rain started slashing hard against the windowpanes, adding a staccato noise to the wind that was howling through the rafters of the old cottage. But the house seemed in good repair, so she wasn’t worried. 

A thumping noise from the front porch reminded her that the deckchair she’d used that afternoon might need rescuing. She pulled on an enormous raincoat she found in the hallway closet, and went out to make sure everything outside was secure. The minute she stepped out the door a powerful gust of wind almost knocked her over. The temperature had dropped several degrees, and a flash of lightening lit up the horizon for a second. Sanem stopped to listen for the roll of thunder. It was still a ways out she thought.   
The deckchair looked sturdy enough, but she didn’t want to take any chances with the professors belongings, so she carried it back to the outhouse where she’d found it a few days ago, and made sure the door was securely hatched.   
By the time she made it back inside she was shivering.

Lightening lit up the cottage at regular intervals now, rolls of thunder following close on its heels.   
Sanem decided to start a fire just in case the generator went out. Not that it was really necessary. It wasn’t that cold, but she’d always loved sitting in front of a fireplace, especially in a storm. She set about building the fire, just like her uncle had taught her. She added kindling and watched as the first tendrils of smoke drifted up and got sucked up the chimney. Soon flames were licking up the teepee-shaped pile of wood and heat started radiating off the fireplace.   
When she was sure it had caught properly, she went in search of dinner. 

She was at the stove stirring a pot of soup when a sudden hunch made her go the window and look towards the main house. 

‘Odd,’ she thought. There were no lights on. Had he not returned from fixing his jeep yet? Through the darkness she couldn’t tell if the jeep was there. Maybe he’d gone back to his campsite or wherever he went when he wasn’t here?   
She felt a little uneasy with the storm picking up, but then she recalled that the man was supposed to know his survival 101. He would be fine. She hoped. 

She grimaced, a little annoyed with herself for worrying, and gave the soup an extra vigorous stirring. 

Just then lightening lit up the cottage like bright noon, and a loud clap of thunder followed. The lights flickered. Then the cottage went dark. 

“Damn,” Sanem mumbled, as she pulled the pot off the stove. The only light in the cottage was the warm glow coming from the fireplace. With the lack of power the cottage had gone eerily silent. No subtle humming from the fridge, nothing except the howling winds.   
Realizing that the old generator was going to need a little first aid, Sanem pulled the professor’s huge raincoat back on. With a resigned sigh she grabbed the flashlight she’d found in a drawer in the hallway and made her way back out in the storm to the outhouse where the generator was located.


	7. Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm hits and ...things turn out to be not quite as Can expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little on the short side - but important lessons are learned... ;-)

Can cursed as the wrench slipped off the rain-slicked lug nut one more time. 

It had taken him longer than expected to hike back to the jeep and start changing the flat tire.  
The storm had been threatening when he set out. Winds were picking up as he walked along the deserted stretch of road, black clouds building on the horizon. But he had been distracted by the recent encounter with his new neighbor and hadn’t realized how close the storm had gotten.  
And now he was paying the price. 

It had started raining just as he reached the jeep. Within minutes he’d been soaked to the skin, but at that point he’d decided he might as well just push through, get it done and get home. He didn’t feel like being stranded out here on the open road once the storm really set in. 

The wrench finally slipped into place, and he finished tightening the nuts. He lowered the jack and watched the jeep settle back on the ground.  
Raindrops rolled down the back of his neck, finding their way under the collar of his fleece. Can blocked out the discomfort and started gathering up his tools to throw them in the back of the jeep. 

It had gotten dark while he worked. Lightening flashed out over the water and he hurried to get back in the jeep and set off towards the house. 

The rain pelting the roof of the jeep was so loud he couldn’t even hear the growl of the engine. The windscreen wipers were working overtime and he squinted into a seemingly solid wall of driving rain, caught in the headlights of the jeep.  
Visibility was bad and it was slow going, but he finally made it back to the house, and parked in his usual spot round the back of the house.  
He decided to leave everything in the jeep and unpack tomorrow, once the storm blew over. 

For now he settled for digging out his key before making a run for the relative protection of the covered front porch.

***

Can was shaking water from his hair and fumbling with the key to his front door when an impulse made him look towards the cottage. 

It was dark. Not a single light on anywhere.  
He frowned. It was way to early for his spitfire of a neighbor to have gone to bed, and too dark for her to sit around with no lights on. Chances were the old generator had set out again. 

Can groaned and pushed back his wet hair. Then he ran a hand over his face to wipe off the rain. 

This was exactly the type of situation he’d known he’d be in, the minute he set eyes on her! But he couldn’t just leave her sitting alone in the dark over there. A sudden image of a dark-haired girl, shivering and scared, popped into his head. 

Resolutely he pulled up the collar of his soaking wet fleece and headed back out into the downpour at a run. 

He didn’t bother stopping at her front door, but bypassed the porch and walked around the corner of the cottage directly towards the outhouse that housed the old generator. 

He’d only just rounded the corner when he thought he heard the grumbling noise of the generator sparking to life, but he couldn’t be sure through the roar of the storm. 

Suddenly lights came back on in the cottage, spilling squares of warm yellow light on the dark ground in front of him.  
Can stopped in his tracks and turned towards the cottage. 

“What the…” he mumbled in surprise. A sound from the outhouse made him spin back around, just in time to see a figure, bundled up in an oversized raincoat come out from the outhouse, secure the door and run towards the front porch. 

The raincoat ran straight for him, the wearer looking down at the uneven ground as she ran.  
Can barely managed to put up his hands and grab her by the shoulders before she powered into him, in her rush to get back inside. 

“Oomph!” she said, as she collided with him for the second time that day. 

A startled intake of breath was her next reaction, but before she could scream or try to club him again, he let go and stepped back. 

“Easy there,” he said, trying to sound soothing. “It’s just me. I noticed your lights were out and I was just coming to see if the generator needed fixing.”

She squinted up at him through the heavy rain. The light from the nearest window spilled over her face. Raindrops caught in her eyelashes, making them spikey and inky black. He noticed a dark smudge on her cheek and had to fight a sudden urge to reach up and wipe it of.

For a moment he forgot where he was as he studied her up-turned face, wondering what was going through her head. 

Then she pushed past him without a word and hurried up on the porch and out of the downpour. He let her go, mainly because he decided she was right to get out of the rain. Then he turned and followed her up the steps. 

The light on the front porch had come on when the generator restarted and Can couldn’t help smiling as he got his first good look at her. Her lithe body was shrouded in the gigantic, old-fashioned rain-slicker that he’d occasionally seen the professor wearing. The ugly old thing reached almost to the ground on her, and was so bulky she could have fit inside it three times easily. 

She fiddled with the door and finally managed to get it open. She stepped inside and turned to look at him. Then her mouth fell open and her eyes widened in surprise. 

“What happened to you?” she squeaked. “Did you decide to take a swim fully dressed?”

Can looked down at himself and shrugged.  
“I got caught in the rain changing the tire,” he explained. “At some point you just can’t get any wetter so when I was done, I didn’t bother finding a raincoat.” He gave her a half smile that he hoped conveyed that he was fine. 

She was biting her bottom lip again. She looked like she was debating something with herself.  
“Do you want to come in?” she asked tentatively. “I was just heating soup and you look like you could use a hot meal.”

Can was just about to decline her offer when he happened to glance in the direction of the main house. It was dark. He suddenly remembered that he hadn’t been back there for a few weeks, so the heating was off, and that included the water heater. There was no hot shower waiting for him in the foreseeable future.  
With an inward groan he turned his attention back to her. Hot soup and a chance to warm up sounded pretty good right about now. 

“Thanks,” he said. “If you’re sure?”  
She didn’t answer. She just stepped back and opened the door wider.  
He stepped into the tiny hall, instantly grateful for the warmth that enveloped him.  
The door closed behind him, muting the sounds of the storm.  
He turned around just in time to see her shrug out of the giant raincoat and hang it on a peg by the door. She placed a flashlight on a small table. 

That’s when he noticed the pair of rubber boots on her feet. 

Can was sure the boots had to belong to the professor too. They had been hidden by the coat before, but now he couldn’t help a chuckle as he took her in. This delicate looking girl-woman in tight jeans and a grey and blue Yale hoodie… and a pair of boat-sized boots that reached well over her knees and were wide enough that she could probably fit both legs in one. How on earth had she managed to run in those? 

She shot him a questioning look but it only made him laugh harder. 

Before she could decide to throw him back out in the rain, he held up his hands in apology and pointed to the boots.  
“Cute,” he said with a grin and hurried to push off his own water logged hiking boots. 

She gave him a small, uncertain smile and starting stepping out of the monstrosities. He got the impression she was trying hard not to brush up against him in the cramped space of the hall, as she wobbled on one leg trying to get out of the boots. Can was just starting to enjoy the show when she lost her balance. He automatically reached out to catch her and for the third time that day, ended up holding his new neighbor in his arms.  
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” he mumbled, with a crooked smile. 

And that’s when it hit him.  
The scent. Her scent.  
Her scent was exactly like the girl from the ferry.


	8. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanem is faced with a whole lot of Can Divit and realizes that she may be in over her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...this sort of played like a movie in my head - not sure if it came out right, but here it is.

Sanem had a weird sense of déjà vu. She didn’t know how long she stood there leaning on him, her eyes locked with his, but somehow she felt unable to move. 

He wasn’t showing signs of moving either. He just held her close, studying her face with a new intensity. In the dim light of the hall his eyes looked almost black, she noticed.

It was the cold water from his soaking wet clothes seeping through her hoodie that finally jolted her into action. 

“Thank you,” she mumbled and pushed off his chest. She felt heat rising in her cheeks and quickly turned away from him, hoping he hadn’t noticed. 

She hurriedly pulled off the awful rubber boots she’d borrowed from the professor’s stash of ancient outer wear and dumped them by the door. Turning back around, she brushed away a lock of hair that had fallen over her face.  
“I’m usually not that clumsy,” she said with a flustered smile. “I promise. But these boots were made for someone twice my size I think.” She shrugged nervously and pushed her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.

He was still studying her silently. Water was dripping from his hair, running down his face, catching in his beard. A small puddle was forming around his stockinged feet. He looked chilled to the bone she thought, but he didn’t seem to be aware of it. 

“Right, I-I’ll go find you a towel,” she stammered. “And I’ll see if the professor has any clothes back there that might fit you.” Her eyes strayed to his body. His wet clothes clung to him, and even through the fleece, his bulk was evident.   
Sanem felt herself blushing deeper. 

She pushed past him and headed for the short hallway that lead to two bedrooms and a bathroom at the back of the cottage.   
“Why don’t you go warm up in front of the fireplace,” she called over her shoulder as she fled into the professor’s room in search of dry clothes for her unexpected guest. 

As soon as she was out of sight of her visitor she breathed a sigh of relief.   
What was happening to her? What was it about that man that had such an effect on her? Why did she get so confused around him? She was usually not at a loss for words, but around Can Divit she was either a babbling mess or her mind went completely blank!

With an irritated shake of her head she went to rummage through the professor’s closet for anything that might fit someone of Can’s size. He was easily a head taller than the professor and where the professor was wide around the middle, Can’s shoulder-span was twice that of the professor’s.  
“Okay,” she mumbled to herself. “So nothing fitted. Something stretchy…” 

She rifled through the professor’s clothes finding nothing but faded and worn-looking flannel shirts and some kind of tweedy pants, none of which would fit the much bigger, younger man.   
“Doesn’t he have any t-shirts or sweaters?” she wondered out loud, looking around the room. She spotted a wooden dresser under the window and went to check the contents. The first drawer held underwear and socks. The second revealed pajamas and a couple of white henley t-shirts. The bottom drawer held sweaters and some folded up hiking pants.  
Sanem quickly picked out a selection of t-shirts and sweaters for Can to try out. But the professor’s pants were clearly not going to fit him. 

Momentarily stumped for ideas Sanem went through the options one more time before finally settling on a pair of navy blue pajama bottoms. They were definitely going to be too short, but they were a better bet than any of the professor’s other pants. Unless, of course, Can would prefer to sit around in a pair of the old-fashioned, grey long-johns she’d spotted in the underwear drawer.   
She giggled to herself at the thought of Can in the professor’s out-dated underpants. 

Gathering up the clothes, she proceeded to raid the linen closet. The cottage may be rustic but the professor sure had good taste in towels, she’d discovered. Thick, soft and luxurious. She picked up two of the fluffy towels, and hurried back to the living room. 

“I’ve found some shirts that might fit you,” she announced as she walked back into the living room. “I’m sorry I can’t find anything but paja…” she began to say, but the rest of the sentence flew right out of her head as she looked up from the pile of clothes in her arms. 

Time seemed to slow down and all sound was muted. 

Can stood with his back to her, bathed in golden light from the fireplace in a white t-shirt that was plastered to his skin with rainwater. He seemed to be moving in slow motion as he reached for the hem of the shirt and pulled it over his head. His hair had come lose from the half-bun and now he shook it free and sprayed water in a halo around himself in the process. 

Sanem watched in bemusement, unable to move or speak. She squeezed her eyes shot for a second hoping to clear the fog in her mind, but it didn’t help. 

Can turned to dump the t-shirt next to the fleece on the stone tiles in front of the fireplace. 

Sanem’s mouth went completely dry and she forgot to blink as she took in the half naked man in her living room. He was even more muscular than she had imagined, and when he moved, muscle rippled under gleaming wet skin that was tanned to a golden color. That had to be from his recent travels, she absently thought to herself, as her eyes roamed over him. Chiseled abs, powerful shoulders, bulging arms, and a wide, muscular chest with a sprinkling of dark hair. The man was like a Greek god come to life!   
She was trying to make out the tattoo on his chest when she became aware that he was speaking to her.

“Sanem?” he repeated.  
“Huh? What?” She squeaked, finally managing to pull her eyes from his naked torso and focus on his face.   
“I was just wondering if there’s somewhere I could hang the wet clothes,” he said, a hint of a smile hovering around his mouth.   
“Oh! Yes of course,” she said, feeling a furious blush come on.   
“I’ll just go and get one of the kitchen chairs,” she said. “You can hang the clothes on that. They’ll dry quicker in here by the fire.” As she fled the room, eager to get away from him for a moment to gather her thoughts, she thought she heard him chuckle. 

While she was gone Can had added wood to the fireplace and the fire was crackling happily on the hearth. He’d removed his wet socks too and was standing barefoot in nothing but wet cargo pants, his hands extended towards the fire. 

She paused just inside the door, once again caught up in the sight of him. She forgot that she was holding a chair, or what she was supposed to do with it.   
“Nobody should look that good,” she mumbled to herself, feeling oddly like her she’d lost grip on reality but at the same time she had a laser sharp focus on the man standing in the middle of her living room. 

The sound of her voice must have alerted him to her presence because he turned around and gave her a questioning look. 

“Uhm… chair,” she said lamely, shuffling forward a few steps. “For your clothes,” she added unnecessarily. He gave her an amused half-smile and took the chair from her. He placed the chair close to the fireplace, and draped his t-shirt, socks and fleece sweater over it. Then he turned and gave her an uncertain look.   
“Is there somewhere I can go and change?” he asked, indicating the pile of clothes she’d dropped on the couch. Her eyes involuntarily followed his movement, taking in the flexing of muscles and the way the light played over his skin.  
For a long moment she just stared at him as if he’d spoken in Latin or something.   
“Yes! Yes of course,” she said, starting to feel like a complete imbecile.   
“The bathroom is just down the hall. The door at the end.” She pointed a finger over her shoulder in the direction of the hallway.  
He watched her for a second, a slow smile building on his face.  
“I know where the bathroom is, Sanem,” he said softly. “I do own the house, you know.” He flashed her quick grin. “I was just wondering where you’d prefer I go and clean up.”   
“Right, of course,” she said feeling more and more foolish by the minute. “Just go ahead and use the bathroom. I-I’ll heat up the soup while you dry off,” she stammered.   
“Okay, thanks,” he said. Then he picked up the pile of clothes and towels, and walked towards her. 

She’d meant to turn on her heal and go to the kitchen but she seemed to have forgotten how to move her legs. She just stood there just inside the door, and watched as he walked towards her. 

He moved with an unconscious grace that really shouldn’t be allowed in a half-naked, rain-drenched man, she thought dimly. 

He didn’t stop till they were practically toe to toe and she had to crane her neck to look up at him. His eyes roamed over her face. Then he smiled again and lifted a hand to her face. For a crazy second she thought he was going to cup her face, but his thumb simply rubbed a small circle on her left cheek, then he stepped back.   
“You had some dirt on your cheek,” he said. “Probably from the generator.”  
He gave her another half smile. Then he walked passed her and down the hall to the bathroom. 

Sanem stared at the closed door in a daze for a few seconds.   
“What is happening to me?” she whispered to herself.   
Then, with an effort, she snapped out of it and headed to the kitchen to heat the soup.


	9. Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can is struggling with whether or not to tell Sanem that he's the man who kissed her on the ferry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was starting to run a little long, so I decided the next part will be told from Sanem's perspective...sorry ;-)

Can leaned on the sink and stared at his own dripping wet reflection in the bathroom mirror. 

‘She’s the ferry-girl,’ the voice in the back of his head whispered.   
“I can’t be sure of that,” he mumbled to his own reflection.

But he did feel sure. 

He just knew it was her. 

It wasn’t just her scent. That unusual, alluring scent… 

No, now that he’d connected the dots, he was sure he even recognized the feel of her in his arms, her hands on his chest as he’d caught her again when she tripped in those ridiculous boots. It had to be her. 

But she had seemed oblivious, he realized with a frown, and that presented a dilemma. 

How was he supposed to broach the subject? It’s not like he could just waltz up to her and casually say, ‘remember that guy who kissed you on the ferry a few days ago? Guess what, that’s me!’

Especially not after the way they had kept colliding all day today. 

‘Maybe the question really is whether you want to tell her at all?’ his inner voice piped up. 

Can gritted his teeth at the truth of it. It sucked, but he really wasn’t sure what he wanted right now.   
On the one hand, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since it happened. And he had made up his mind to apologize if he ever discovered who the girl was.   
On the other hand, he really didn’t know this girl, and did he want that kiss to muddle his relationship with the professor’s assistant for the rest of the summer? 

Maybe his obsession with the mystery-girl was just that – an obsession caused by the mystery of who she was? Maybe his fascination would blow over now that he knew? 

A rivulet of water ran down his back, soaking into the waistband of his already drenched pants. Can pushed off the sink with a frustrated sigh. 

He had probably better think this through before saying anything to her. He really wasn’t so sure it was a good idea to let on that he’s kissed his new neighbor and tenant! And he was pretty sure the professor wouldn’t appreciate him kissing his assistant randomly like that.   
No, telling her now could cause all kinds of complications. He’d better bide his time.   
For now, he’d settle for getting to know her. 

That decided, Can felt a lot calmer, and set to work cleaning up. 

He peeled off the wet pants, and hung them over the shower curtain. For a second he considered simply jumping in the shower, but decided it was probably best to be quick about this and get back out there before she regretted her hospitality. 

He quickly dried off and pushed his towel-dried hair back off his face, leaving it loose to dry.

The pile of clothes she’d found for him sat on the edge of the tub. He sorted through the selection and grimaced. He and the professor clearly did not have a lot in common in the wardrobe department.

Still, it was better than sitting around in wet clothes.

With a resigned shrug, Can pulled one of the professor’s white Henley shirts over his head. It was a tight fit, and a little short in the body, but it would do.   
He turned to grab the pajama pants that he’d draped over the side of the tub. The pants ended mid-calf and were a bit wide, but once he’d tightened the drawstring they weren’t in any immediate danger of falling off, he figured. 

He chuckled as he looked at himself in the mirror. He looked a bit like he had back in the 7th grade when his 13-year old body had gone through an alarming growth spurt, and his clothes had seemed to shrink over night. 

But at least he was dry.

***

Can padded barefoot back down the hall. He could hear cooking noises coming from the kitchen and decided to see if she needed help with anything. 

As he approached the door to the kitchen he heard chatter, and for a second he thought some other guest had arrived. The sudden flash of resentfulness he felt at the idea of anyone intruding on them took him by surprise, but he quickly rejected the feeling as absurd. Still, as he peeked into the kitchen he was relieved to see that she was alone. 

Sanem was by the stove with her back to him, stirring a pot with one hand and gesturing with the other, while talking to herself. 

He smiled, and quietly leaned on the doorjamb, taking in her not-so-inner-dialogue. It occurred to him that he should probably let her know he was there, but then she said his name and curiosity got the better of him. 

“…he may be the mysterious Can Divit,” he heard her say. “But he’s still just a man and there’s no need to get so flustered around him.” She made a stabbing motion with the spoon, sending a big blob of soup flying. She wiped it off with a paper towel without pausing her one-sided conversation.  
“Get a grip, Sanem, and start acting like a normal human,” she continued. “He might already be planning on telling the professor that you attacked him, and if you keep falling into his arms every time you turn around he’ll be filing charges for sexual harassment too!” She slammed the lid on the pot for emphasis, and reached up to pull bowls out of a cabinet next to the stove. 

“But it really was an accident,” she reasoned with herself. “Okay, maybe not the first time,” she admitted sheepishly and started twirling a lock of hair around her finger. 

Can felt a jolt of surprise. The first time? So maybe she did know he was the man from the ferry after all? And had that not been an accident?

“But that was only because I thought he was a burglar,” she retorted.

Can nodded in resignation. Nope, it was as he thought. She definitely didn’t realize who he was. 

“And stop acting like you’ve never seen a shirtless man before,” her self-admonishment continued. “Okay, so maybe he has the body of a Greek god, and maybe he’s too handsome for his own good, but that doesn’t mean you have to fall over your own feet every time he looks your way!” 

Can smiled in amusement. She could keep falling into his arms if she wanted. He wasn’t complaining. 

She walked to the fridge and pulled out a tub of butter.   
“Besides, he’s probably insufferable, controlling, conceited, chauvinistic and…and insufferable!” she muttered as she took a baguette out of a cupboard.

“You said ‘insufferable’ twice,” Can said, deciding that he’d eavesdropped enough. 

He pushed off the doorjamb and sauntered into the kitchen, but stopped short as Sanem spun around with a shriek of surprise, pointing a breadknife at him. 

“Whoa! No need for that,” he said lifting his hands in surrender. “I just came to see if there’s anything I can do to help?” 

Her eyes narrowed and she looked like she was debating whether to use the breadknife on him or the baguette. Can gave her his most innocent smile.  
She looked at him, then down at the knife in her hand. Then she gave a short, nervous laugh and turned to deposit the knife on the counter.  
“Sorry,” she said, with a small apologetic smile. “You startled me, that’s all.”   
“No problem,” he said stepping closer. “So, is there anything I can do?”   
She hesitated for another second. Then she seemed to relax.  
“You can cut the bread while I pour the soup,” she said moving past him to the stove.

He watched as she started to ladle soup into the bowls. 

‘Soooo, I guess we’re ignoring that I just heard you talking to yourself… about me,’ he thought, fighting a grin. But he decided it was probably safer not to bring that up while there were knives around. 

He cut the bread and found a breadbasket on the counter to put it in.   
“Where do you want me to put this?” he asked, indicating the basket.  
“I was thinking we could eat in the living room,” she said, making it sound like a question. “I thought we could sit by the fire to warm up,” she added, sending him a smile over the shoulder. 

Momentarily blind-sided by the radiance of that smile, he didn’t answer. He just picked up the bread and butter and followed her into the living room. 

***

The soup was hot and delicious. Can hadn’t realized just how cold he’d gotten, but with a hot meal in his belly to warm him up from within, and with the fireplace doing a good job of heating up the living room, he was starting to feel very content.  
The storm was still going strong outside, but here, inside the cottage, with a good fire going, it felt snug and cozy. The howling winds outside just added to the charm, he thought, with a glance at her. They sat at opposite ends of the old, faded couch in front of the fireplace, both curled up in a corner, balancing their soup bowls on their knees.

If he was being honest he’d almost forgotten about the storm. He’d been so caught up in their conversation. 

He hadn’t expected that they would have much to talk about, and at first it had felt a little awkward. She had seemed shy and at a loss for words.   
But as she grew more talkative, he soon discovered that he had been dead wrong. She was surprisingly interesting company. And she had this way of revealing little nuggets of information about herself that made him want to know more. It was soon driving him crazy. She was like a big roll of yarn that he’d caught the end of, and now he wanted to pull it to see what would unravel. 

She was full of contradictions too.   
She looked so delicate, but was incredibly capable.   
She was beautiful, but obviously not aware of it.   
She was smart, but strangely insecure about it at times.  
And she claimed to be shy and self-conscious, but she had been chatting away for an hour now, completely at ease. He couldn’t help a crooked smile. ‘Shy’ hadn’t lasted long!

He discovered that he’d been right to judge her a city-girl, in the sense that she’d been brought up in New York City. But that was all she had in common with the city-girls he knew. She seemed completely indifferent to society-gossip, didn’t care about staying on top of the latest fashion-trends or elbowing her way to the top. All traits he’d come to recognize in the women he generally categorized as city-girls. In comparison, she seemed decidedly low maintenance.

Also, it turned out that she’d spent most of her childhood vacations not in fancy resorts in the Caribbean, but in a primitive cabin in the Appalachians. Apparently her aunt and uncle had enough glitz and show at work, and they both loved to relax with the simple life in close contact with nature. 

“So I guess that explains why you knew how to fix the generator?” he said, feeling a little shamefaced once again, for automatically assuming she’d be clueless.  
“Yeah, I’ve watched my uncle fiddle with the one in our cabin a million times,” she nodded. “And he insisted I learn how to do it too. He has this thing about people being capable,” she added with a shrug. “I think it might be because they have no children of their own,” she speculated. “It kind of made me the sole recipient of whatever wisdom and knowledge the two of them felt the need to impress on a child.” She laughed and popped a buttered piece of baguette into her mouth.

He watched in fascination as she ate with gusto. 

That was another thing about this girl. Most women he knew seemed to think of food the way the way they thought of fashion. They ate according to trendy diets or whatever super-food or health-craze was currently in style. And generally speaking, they seemed to think it admirable to eat as little as possible. But this girl clearly had no qualms about eating actual food. 

He’d also discovered that she was funny. Admittedly, sometimes involuntarily so, he thought with a grin, but she had a quirky sense of humor that he found extremely appealing.

He realized he had been watching her again. He couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off her face. When she talked her eyes sparkled and every emotion seemed to flicker over her face in fast succession. 

She must have noticed that his mind had wandered because she stopped stalking mid-sentence to look at him. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I’m listening.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

For a second he worried that he’d offended her, because her face looked kind of pinched. Then he realized she was fighting a laugh. 

“What’s so funny,” he asked, frowning. But she just bit her lip and shook her head. She busied herself placing her empty bowl back on the tray and wiping away crumbs, but even half-turned away from him he could tell her whole body was shaking with silent laughter.  
“Sanem!” he repeated, this time aiming for his serious voice. “What’s so funny?”   
That just sent her over the edge completely and she was flat out laughing. 

Can stared at her helplessly for a moment - and then he threw a pillow at her! 

Afterwards he couldn’t quite explain what made him do it, but it sure got her attention.   
Her stunned expression was caught between surprise and laughter. She looked so cute and funny he just couldn’t help laughing himself. 

But then her eyes narrowed, and he could tell the minute revenge plans started forming in her head.   
Can started putting up his hands in defense, but thought better of it. It would be better to simply take preventative action, he decided. So, before she could start an all-out pillow-fight, he launched himself at her, tackling her into the corner of the overstuffed couch.   
“Oh no, you don’t,” he grinned, pinning her down easily.   
“Now tell me,” he demanded, looking into her laughing eyes. “What was so funny?”  
Sanem had finally gotten the giggles under control, and was looking up at him with a mischievous grin.   
“It’s nothing,” she said, but her grin just widened. He raised an eyebrow at her.   
“It’s silly,” she protested. She had clearly forgotten about payback and was enjoying her private joke.   
“Tell me,” he insisted in his most persuasive voice, while rubbing small circles on her wrist with his thumb. 

But his seductive technique seemed to backfire. He almost forgot that he was supposed to get her to talk. In stead he found his eyes had slipped to her lips, and he wondered what would happen if he kissed her. Would she remember? Would she realize that he was the one she kissed that day? 

Unconsciously he lowered his head, his nose briefly bumping against hers.


	10. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanem is trying to figure Can out, but keeps getting tripped up by the way he affects her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me just apologize in advance...we ARE getting to it, but these things take time ;-)

Sanem saw it, the moment something changed. One minute they were being playful and laughing, the next he was looking at her with something that looked a lot like desire. His eyes grew perceptibly darker and the sudden heat in them took her breath away.

She watched, mesmerized, as his gaze wandered to her lips. Slowly his head lowered towards her, his eyes trained on her lips. 

He paused when his lips hovered just a hairbreadth from hers. 

His hands no longer held her wrists. In stead his fingers tangled with hers, his thumb rubbing lazy circles on the palm of her hand. 

Sanem closed her eyes in anticipation.

She waited. 

He seemed to be just breathing her in.

She felt like she was going to scream in frustration, and dimly wondered if he was deliberately trying to drive her crazy. 

From somewhere far away a voice seemed to be telling her that she should stop this, but she didn’t want to. She wanted this. Wanted to know what it would feel like.   
So she just waited, holding her breath. 

Tension was building like a physical thing between them. 

Finally he moved to close the distance. She felt his nose rub lightly against hers. After the built-up, the brief contact was like en electric shock to her system and a startled breath escaped her. 

And that soft sound was all it took. 

Can seemed to freeze for a second. 

Then in a flash, he released her and sat up, a shocked expression on his face.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, looking stunned. “I don’t know what came over me, I-I got caught up in the moment or something…” he trailed off, looking so mortified it was almost funny. 

Or at least it would have been if she weren’t feeling just a little bit offended. Was the idea of kissing her really that repulsive to him? 

Sanem stared up at him in a daze. Then she realized that she was still half reclined on the couch. With an effort she got her body to cooperate and slowly sat back up. She ran a hand through her hair, buying time while she tried to get a grip on her scattered senses.

“It was probably just reflex,” he reasoned with a frown to no one in particular. 

“You know,” he added conversationally. “When we were kids my sister and I would sit in front of this very fireplace, here in the cottage, playing board games, and they usually ended in pillow fights or tickle-fights when she cheated.” He shrugged and send her a tentative half-smile. 

Sanem stared at him in disbelief for a second.

“Are you saying I remind you of your sister?” she choked out.   
‘Oh God, can this get any worse?’ she thought to herself.

“What? No! that’s not what…” He glared at her. Then he ran both hands through his hair and took a breath. He looked appalled and embarrassed at the same time. 

Sanem studied his face for a second, her brain slowly catching up. 

She may be inexperienced when it came to men, but she felt certain that she hadn’t misunderstood what had almost happened between them. She was positive it hadn’t been one-sided. And most importantly, she was absolutely sure there had been no brotherly feelings involved either! 

Yet here he was, backpedalling like crazy, completely dismissing their near-kiss. 

Sanem didn’t stop to analyze whether she was feeling more hurt or angry, but she wasn’t about to show him that he had gotten to her. 

“So did your childhood tickle-fights usually end in kissing?” she asked archly, and immediately wanted to bite her tongue. ‘Way to show him you don’t care, Sanem’, she silently admonished herself.

This time he just turned his head, slowly and deliberately, and gave her a flat stare.   
“Of course not” he said stiffly. “I just meant to say, the whole…pillow-throwing, pouncing-thing…it was out of line. It belonged in a different place and time. And I’m really sorry.” He was back to his calm ‘I’m-in-control’-voice, she noticed. All defenses up. 

Sanem bit her lip, contemplating her options for a moment. 

Can was clearly uncomfortable, and even though she felt a little hurt by his attitude, she could understand why he’d think it inappropriate to let anything happen between them. For all intents and purposes she was his tenant, and he was a friend of her boss’, who had more or less entrusted him with her care – however unnecessary that may be.   
On top of that, they didn’t really know each other at all. After all, they had only just met that afternoon - and under somewhat unfortunate circumstances too, she admitted to herself with a nervous blush. 

No, he was probably right in putting an end to things before it got too far, she thought and sighed regretfully. 

Then she immediately slammed a hand over her mouth in shock at her own thoughts.   
‘Whoa! When did I start wanting ‘too far’ with anyone, let alone my slightly aggravating, too-hot-for-safety landlord?’ she thought. 

Can had been eyeing her cautiously while she debated with herself. Now he looked at her questioningly.

She shrugged, and gave him a wavering smile.

“Well,” she finally said. “No harm done. Besides, I guess I kind of owe you one mistake after jumping you with a racket this afternoon,” she laughed sheepishly.

He looked relieved and nodded quickly. 

Then he grinned at her. 

“What do you say we start over?” He held out his hand.  
Sanem looked at it for a second. Then she placed her hand in his.

“Can Divit,” he said. “Freelance journalist, cottage-owner and sometimes idiot, who needs to learn not to make assumptions about people.” He smiled disarmingly.

Sanem couldn’t help smiling back.

“Sanem Aydin,” she said. “Research assistant, cottage-guest and sometimes fool, who thinks she can take on the world with a tennis racket. Nice to meet you.”

***  
His eyes were warm and friendly again as he looked into hers. He held her hand in his for just a little too long, she noticed. Maybe he wasn’t completely unaffected by the sofa-incident after all? she wondered.

“So,” he said, clearing his throat. “How about I help you clean up the dishes? My clothes should be dry soon too so you can get rid of me.”

‘Or maybe he’s not affected at all,’ she thought dejectedly. ‘He obviously wants to get out of here.’

But she nodded and started gathering utensils and napkins. 

They collected the dirty dishes and carried everything to the kitchen. 

Sanem watched him surreptitiously the whole time, more and more confused about his changing moods and behavior. She was not sure what to make of him at all. 

On the one hand he was this big, strong alpha-male type, who seemed to take control of everything and everyone around him, but at the same time he was boyishly playful, charming, undeniably chivalrous and had an inconveniently strong moral code it would seem. She scrunched up her nose in frustration. 

Maybe that’s why he had her so on edge, she thought. Maybe she didn’t know how to act around him because he didn’t fit into any of the usual boxes?

It had definitely been easier to just dismiss him as a chauvinist ass, she thought ruefully. The man he was turning out to be was a lot harder to ignore. 

Sanem finished rinsing out the bowls and placed them in the sink. 

She was acutely aware that she didn’t want the night to be over and for him to leave. She could offer him coffee, she thought. But wouldn’t that be a bit obvious? Classic post-date move? But before she could reconsider she heard herself make the offer. 

“Do you want tea or coffee?” she asked.  
“I’ll help do the dishes,” he offered simultaneously. 

They looked at each other for a beat.

“Tea would be nice,” he said.  
“Thank you, that would be great,” she said at the same time.

This time they both started laughing. 

Sanem opened her mouth to speak, but Can stopped her with a finger to her lips. He smiled and shook his head.   
“How about we do the dishes first?” he said softly. 

Sanem nodded and watched in bemusement as he turned away and started rummaging for dishwashing liquid under the sink. 

She groaned inwardly. She was in way more trouble than she’d realized. If the simply touch of his finger to her lips could make her heart skip a couple of beats, she needed help! 

But for now, she’d settle for not making a complete fool out of herself. So she took a deep breath and grabbed a dishrag. 

They worked in amicable silence for a while, quickly finding a rhythm and moving around each other with ease, as if they’d done this a thousand times before. 

Still, she had to concentrate not to stop and ogle him every two minutes. Can in a too-tight white t-shirt was no less distracting than a shirtless Can, she’d learned. And every time he moved that shirt would ride up a little and reveal a slice of taut, tanned abs. 

But she’d already discovered earlier that evening that the key was looking for the ridiculous in his outfit. It was so much easier to handle being this close to him, if she could laugh at the outfit rather than focus on the man in it! 

As if he could read her thoughts, Can chose that moment to bring up her earlier fit of giggles.

“So are you ever going to tell me what was so funny before?” he asked casually, rinsing off a glass and placing it on the sideboard. 

When she didn’t immediately answer he cast a sidelong glance at her as he picked up the next glass. 

Sanem felt heat creep into her cheeks and looked away.

“Sanem?” he pressed.

“It’s going to sound so silly, now,” she pleaded. “It’s not really that funny at all, you know? It’s one of those things…you really should have been there,” she finished lamely.

He stopped washing the glass and turned to look at her.

“I was there, remember?” he raised an eyebrow at her.

She stuck her tongue out at him in childish defiance but that just made him more insistent. 

“Come on, Sanem,” he wheedled. “If you don’t tell me I won’t be able to sleep.” He placed the second glass on the sideboard. 

“Do you want to keep me up all night?” he implored.  
Sanem felt her eyes widening at the image his words conjured in her head. 

He frowned at her reaction, clearly not understanding. Then he seemed to realize what she was thinking.  
“Wondering!” he hurried to clarify. “You’ll keep me up wondering.”

Was he actually blushing? Sanem almost laughed at how flustered he suddenly seemed. Nice to know she wasn’t the only one.

“Well, it was nothing,” she said, deciding to get it over with. 

“It was just that you were sitting there, being all serious, trying to look assertive and interested, but those clothes,” she said, waving a hand in the general direction of his body. “They kind of make you look like an adolescent boy who’s outgrown his good clothes rather than an alpha-male in his prime. I just couldn’t take you seriously.” She shrugged and turned to put away the glass she’d finished wiping. 

“An alpha-male in his prime?” he chuckled. “That’s how you see me?”

“That’s what you got from what I just said?” she countered, crossing her arms over her chest. “And no, I think that’s how you see you.” 

“I’m sorry, you’re right,” he laughed. “It really wasn’t funny at all.” He made a show of sobering up, and turned around to finish washing the pot. 

Sanem flicked the dishrag at him behind his back, but made sure not to hit him. But she couldn’t help smiling.

“Thanks for doing this, by the way,” she said indicating the sink full of sudsy water. 

Without looking she reached for the next item to be wiped off, just as Can was placing the pot on the sideboard. Her hand landed on top of his, and her eyes flew to his in alarm. 

“That’s the least I can do,” he mumbled. His voice sounded a bit hoarse. “After crashing your evening like that,” he continued, holding her gaze. 

He hadn’t moved his hand.

But neither had she, she realized and quickly snatched it away. 

“I-I’ll make that tea then,” she mumbled and fled to fill the kettle.


	11. Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can is getting more and more caught up in getting to know Sanem ...but sometimes his hero-complex trips him up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our couple is slowly getting to know each other...and Sanem is keeping him on his toes...

It was still dark when Can woke up. He blinked into the blackness trying to get his bearings. The outline of unfamiliar furniture gradually came into focus as his eyes adjusted. He was definitely not in his own bedroom, his sleep-hazy brain concluded. He felt momentarily disoriented. Slowly, he became aware of the weight of a warm body pressed against his, and he remembered. 

The storm.

The cottage. 

Sanem.   
They had sat in front of the fireplace, drinking tea and talking for hours. He hadn’t noticed when she dozed off. At one point he’d asked her something and she just hadn’t answered. He’d looked over and found her peacefully asleep, curled up in the corner of the couch, dark hair spilling over her lovely face. He hadn’t wanted to disturb her by carrying her to bed. In stead, he’d eased her down on the couch and covered her up with a blanket that he’d found in a basket by the reading chair. He remembered sitting with her head in his lap, stroking her hair and watching her sleep. At some point he must have nodded off himself, he realized. 

How he’d ended up stretched out on the couch, with Sanem curled around him, her head resting on his chest, he had no idea.   
But it felt good. She fit perfectly in his arm, nestled against him like this. 

She was still fast asleep but Can suddenly felt wide awake. 

He didn’t know what time it was, but the fire had long since died out, and there was only a faint red glow from a few remaining embers left in the fireplace. 

Through the bay window he could make out a pale light on the horizon. The storm had blown over, and everything was quiet.

He tried to look at her face but it was too dark for him to see properly. He could still smell that amazing scent of hers on her hair, though. 

He told himself it was best to stay where he was, so he wouldn’t wake her, so for a while he lay there, gazing into the dark, stroking her hair occasionally

Eventually the black sky started turning grey outside the windows and the early morning light began to creep into the small living room. Can could see her features more clearly now. The dark shadows cast by her lashes, her button nose and full bottom lip. 

She made a small noise in her sleep and he held his breath, afraid he’d woken her.   
But she just burrowed closer without waking up. 

Can felt a strange tightness in his chest as he looked down at her sleeping face.   
He was tempted to stay and keep watching her, but reluctantly decided it would be best to move before she woke up. He didn’t really know how to explain their present sleeping arrangement and he thought there was a good chance she’d be upset if she woke up to find she’d spend the night in the arms of a relative stranger. 

Not that they could really be considered strangers after last night, he thought with a smile. But still. He wasn’t sure she’d take well to waking up drooling on his chest. He grinned to himself, imagining the mixed fit of outrage and embarrassment, he felt sure she’d throw his way. 

With a resigned sigh, he slowly eased her head off his chest, and slipped off the couch. She made a soft, plaintive noise as he slid a pillow under her head, but she didn’t wake up. He tucked the blanket in around her, so she wouldn’t get cold.

Then he tiptoed around the room picking up his now dry clothes and headed to the bathroom to get changed.

Five minutes later he was letting himself out of the cottage, easing the door shut as quietly as possible. 

He turned to look out over the bay. In the shimmering pre-sunrise light the sea looked pearly grey. Small waves languidly washed up on shore and seagulls were busy picking through the debris that had washed up during last night’s storm. He took a deep breath of cool, salty air, and smiled.   
This was going to be a good day. 

***

Can was in a good mood, humming along as he worked. It seemed he’d been right in assuming that he would feel calmer once he discovered who the mystery girl from the ferry was, he thought, as he finished unpacking from his resent trip.   
He fired up the generator and the water heater, and made sure the heater was full.

But finding her and getting to know her had presented him with a different problem, he realized, as he started making a list of items he needed for the house and the cabin up on the mountain. The obsession with the mystery of who she was might be out of his system, but the girl she turned out to be, kept creeping into his thoughts, distracting him as he worked! 

He didn’t think it was because of a guilty conscience for having accidentally kissed her, though. No, he admitted to himself, it probably had more to do with the fact that he had wanted to kiss her again last night.   
The thought stopped him in his tracks for a second. Then he quickly slammed a lid on that line of thinking and went back to work. 

Just after noon he was on the phone with his editor. He was only half-listening to her suggestions for the piece he had handed in last week, when he heard the metallic sound of the screen door of the cottage clanging shut.  
Seconds later there was a dull thump as the wooden gate, leading to the steps down to the beach below, slammed closed.

Can drifted out onto the porch overlooking the beach, while his editor rambled on about possible new stories he could pursue. 

He watched Sanem taking the steps down to the sand slowly, swinging her arms as if to loosen up tight muscles. She was dressed in black running tights, a black roll neck jumper and a lightweight, white windbreaker. She’d tied her hair up in a bun, so it wouldn’t blow in her face. It made her look ethereal and strong at the same time, he thought. Sort of like a ballerina.   
When she reached the hard packed sand, flattened by the tide, she stretched her arms over her head briefly, breathing deeply. 

Then she set off at a brisk walk towards the outer edge of the bay. 

The walk to the other side took about 25 minutes he knew. At that point the sand turned to rocky outcroppings dotted with tide-pools, before ending in a steep rock wall where seabirds nested. The wall marked the outer rim of the bay.   
At this time of day the tide was out and there was a wide stretch of sand all the way out to the tide pools. In a few hours the tide would come in and cover part of the path from the sand to the tide pools with several feet of water until the tide went back out again later tonight. It was a rhythm he’d gotten used to watching over the years. As a kid he’d loved going out to the pools with his sister looking for shells, starfish and other small creatures caught in the shallow rocky bowls. 

He hadn’t been out there in a long time he realized with a pang. 

He watched her make her way across the sand, stopping occasionally to look at something the waves had carried up on the beach. 

His editor’s voice broke through his thoughts. 

“Can?” she repeated. “Would you be interested in doing that? Can?”   
“Sorry, what?” he asked, suddenly realizing he had no idea what she’d been saying for the past five minutes.  
“Are you listening to me at all, Can?” she asked, in that slightly gravelly voice that sounded like it had been cured with cigarettes and whisky, and was meant to be singing bluesy jazz in a night club. Most men found her voice sexy, he knew. Or maybe it was just that they found her sexy, and - by extension - her voice? He didn’t know. He knew that she had at one point hoped they might be more than just writer and editor, but he’d never felt any attraction to her, and had let her know early on that their relationship – while friendly – would only ever be professional. And they had worked well together for 4 years now.   
“I’m, sorry Denise,” he said. “I’m a little distracted today. I need to go and take care of something here, but why don’t you just email me the details, and I’ll take a look at it tonight?” 

It took another ten minutes to wind down the conversation without ruffling her feathers too much, and by the time Can got of the phone, Sanem was only a tiny black dot in the distance. 

Can leaned on the bannister for a while watching the black dot move around between the tide pools. 

He silently admitted to himself that he found her fascinating. She was an odd mixture of infuriatingly stubborn, completely charming and totally unpredictable all at the same time. She was definitely not boring. 

He smiled and watched her for a little while longer. Then he glanced at his watch. It was getting close to one o’clock. He frowned. Had he mentioned the tide-schedule to her? Did she know to get off the rock-formation and head back to the wider part of the beach in time, so the incoming tide wouldn’t cut her off?   
There was still over an hour before the pathway would be flooded, but maybe he had better head down there and warn her, he thought, an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

The tiny black Sanem-dot was still roaming around at the furthest end of the rocks. Can bit his lip for a second. She’d get mad if he treated her like she was clueless, he knew.   
But the sea had already started creeping further up the beach. 

With a decisive nod, Can hurried inside, pulled on his hiking boots and windbreaker and headed for the stairs down to the beach. 

***

Can half-ran along the beach, hoping that any second he would see her heading in his direction, back to dry land. 

The wind had picked up a little during the morning, and the sound of the wind and the crashing of waves on the sand made it hard to hear anything. Can had little hope that Sanem would hear him calling, so in stead of wasting time trying, he simply picked up speed.

He was past the sandy beach now, running on uneven rocky ground, jumping over the smaller tide pools and fissures in the rock. He could see her clearly now.

She was standing with her back to him, leaning over one of the bigger tide pools apparently caught up in whatever was going on in the live aquarium in front of her.

A quick look behind him assured him that there was still time for them to make it back before the tide came in. 

He was close enough now that she would hear him calling, and he was just about to call her name when the sound of an alarm stopped him short.   
He watched in surprise as Sanem pulled her phone out of her pocket and turned off the alarm.   
She stood up and stretched. 

Can shook his head. She was clearly not aware that she could wind up stranded out her over night! They had to get back to the beach now.  
“Sanem!” he called, waving his arms. 

And then he could only watch as it happened… 

She had just started turning around, while zipping the phone back in her pocket, when his yelling and waving made her look up in surprise. The sudden movement made her lose her balance. She took a step back to right herself, and stepped right over the edge of the tide pool!

Can watch in sick fascination as she tumbled backwards into the pool of water with a splash and disappeared out of view.

She probably wasn’t under for more than a few seconds but it felt like an eternity before he reached the tide pool and saw her sit up in the shallow water, spluttering and shivering in the chill wind. 

“What on earth do you think you’re doing!” she yelled at him, slamming a hand down hard for emphasis, splashing water over herself in the process.   
“You scared me, you idiot!” she continued, obviously not feeling terribly grateful for his attempt to save her from getting stranded.  
“Easy, Sanem,” he said trying hard not to laugh at her bedraggled mermaid-impression.   
“I was just trying to tell you that you need to get back to the beach before the tide comes in,” he added, as he reached a hand down to help her up.  
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” she said, crossing her arms over her chest rather than let him help her up.  
“Are you telling me that I’m sitting in icy seawater with a sharp rock tattooing my left thigh, because you wanted to play the knight in shining armor? Seriously?” she shook her head and sprayed water on him this time.  
“Can, I had my alarm set so I would know when to head back in. I was just about to turn around when you torpedoed in here, yelling like a madman!”  
“I wasn’t yelling like a madman,” he started saying. Then he realized what she’d just said.   
“Wait, you knew about the tide?” he asked, instantly realizing his mistake when he heard the surprise in his own voice. 

Sanem’s face went as icy as the water as she glared at him. The she seemed to realize something.  
She reached a hand up towards him, and let him help her out of the pool. Then she glared at him again and stalked past him. 

“Yes, I know about the tide,” she snapped. “And if you don’t want to get stuck out here, you better follow me back to the beach now!”


	12. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can and Sanem are circling around each other, getting closer, but at the same time trying not to. For various reasons they both think they need to keep a distance, but it gets harder and harder when they're constantly thrown together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, and I just couldn't resist - had to have a 'playing doctor'-scene ;-)

Sanem was fuming. She didn’t look to see if he was following, she just walked away, head held high, desperately clinging to her last sliver of dignity. But it wasn’t easy when her sneakers were making weird squeaky noises with every step and her wet clothes clung to her body, restricting her movement. And on top of that the backside of her left thigh was starting to hurt. Badly. 

She tried to hurry but the chill wind cut straight through her wet windbreaker and had her shivering in seconds, and her leg soon began to feel stiff. 

She was aware that Can was following her like a silent shadow, even if he had obviously gotten the message that she wasn’t happy with him right now and was keeping his distance. 

They reached the wider part of the beach and Sanem could no longer keep up the pace because of the pain in her leg. She could feel his eyes on her but refused to look at him.   
She gritted her teeth and limped on.

“Sanem,” he finally said, reaching out a hand to support her. “Slow down. We’re on dry land now.”  
“I know that,” she grumbled, pulling her arm out of his grasp.  
“Come on, Sanem,” he said. “You’ve hurt your leg. Let me help you.”  
“I can manage,” she said through gritted teeth as she hobbled on. 

He kept at her side for another few steps, grumbling something about stubbornness, which she studiously ignored. 

Then, without warning, the ground disappeared from under her, as Can simply swept her up in his arms and continued on as if carrying her was nothing. 

“Can!” she protested, “put me down! I can walk.” 

But he didn’t waste time arguing. He just marched on, ignoring her indignant spluttering. 

“Can!” she exclaimed. “You don’t have to carry me. I can walk on my own.”

“Sanem,” he explained patiently without pausing. “You just got soaked in ice-cold water, and are being exposed to a cold wind. On top of that your leg is making it hard for you to walk. We need to get you inside as soon as possible, and you need to let me help. Hypothermia is no joke.”

As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t really argue with that, so in stead she just tucked in her chin and kept quiet. 

And soon she didn’t want to protest at all. Can’s body not only provided at welcome barrier against the cold wind, but it also radiated heat. Sanem had to fight the urge to cling even closer to him, to soak up more of that delicious heat. 

In a surprisingly short time they were at the steps leading up to the house. Sanem prepared for him to put her down so she could limp up with the aid of the wooden railing, but Can simply started climbing up.  
Sanem felt illogically annoyed that he was hardly even winded from climbing the steep steps with a grown woman in his arms. But when Can reached the top of the steps, and headed straight for the main house with long easy strides, she forgot all about her irritation. 

“Where are you taking me?” she asked, feeling like she was loosing control of the situation fast.  
“To my house,” he answered calmly. “We need to get you in a hot bath and to get that leg of yours looked at.”  
“There’s a perfectly good bath tub in the cottage,” she pointed out. But he ignored her as he climbed the few steps to his own front porch.   
“I know,” he said, pushing open the screen and then the front door. “But we don’t know how bad your leg is, and I doubt the professor’s first aid kit is any match for the one I keep.”

She wanted to argue with his smug tone, but then they were inside and the warmth of the house wrapped around her chilled body. Suddenly she didn’t feel like arguing anymore. 

Can didn’t stop to remove their shoes. He just marched straight through the house and into the bathroom. He sat her down on the edge of the tub, and without a word he turned on the water. He adjusted the temperature, located a bottle of bubble bath and poured a generous amount into the water. 

Then he squatted down in front of her and removed her wet sneakers, one after the other, and set them aside. He started unzipping her windbreaker, and for a crazy moment Sanem wondered if he was actually going to strip her naked and put her in the tub. But the thought finally jerked her into action, and she grabbed his hand pulling the zipper. 

“I’ll do the rest,” she said, hating the slight catch in her voice.

Can looked at her for a long moment. He must have decided that she was going to cooperate, because he let go of the zipper and stood up, towering over her.   
“Okay,” he said. “Get out of those wet clothes and get in the tub. I’ll find you some of my sister’s clothes while you warm up. I think she has left some things here that will fit you,” he added running his eyes up and down her body. 

His look made her squirm and it was a relief when he turned on his heel and left, closing the door softly behind him. 

***

It was hard to stay annoyed once the hot water started working its magic on her freezing body and sore muscles. Sanem sighed in content and relaxed, her head resting on a washcloth, eyes closed, as she floated blissfully in the fragrant water.   
She shifted and felt a slight sting in the back of her thigh. She still hadn’t checked to see the damage to her leg, but the warm water felt soothing all over, so she decided it could wait. 

While she soaked up the heat from the water, the events of the previous hour kept playing on repeat in her head. Slowly she started to acknowledge that she might have overreacted a bit. She would probably have to apologize to him once she got out of the tub, she thought a little sheepishly. He had, after all, had good intentions in coming after her. And he had been helpful in getting her back here after her little mishap, she reluctantly admitted. And if nothing else, this bath entitled him to a thank you, she finally decided with a smile.

But all amenable thoughts flew out of her head a second later when there was a quick knock on the door, and the next moment Can’s head popped in with a cheery “are you decent?”  
“Can!” she shrieked and dove under the relative cover of the bubbles. But the need for air soon drove her back up spluttering and glowering. He was leaning against the door, studying her with mild curiosity and a crooked smile that just about drove her crazy.   
“Get out!” she yelled. “I’m in the tub – as per your order – and I’m naked!”

He mumbled something under his breath. She couldn’t be sure but it sounded a lot like “I’m well aware, honey”. But then he strolled in to the bathroom and put a small bundle of clothes on the sink. 

“I just wanted to bring you something dry to put on once you’re done here,” he said pointing to the clothes.   
His eyes briefly roamed over the bubbles that were disappearing alarmingly fast. Then he made a strangled sound, and fled the bathroom. 

The door closed behind him just in time, as Sanem threw the sopping wet washcloth at him. It landed with a wet slap on the door where his head had been moments before.   
“You’re cleaning that up yourself,” he called from behind the door. 

Sanem stuck her tongue out at the door and sank back under the bubbles. Then a thought occurred to her.   
“Uhm…Can?” she called, clenching her hands under water so he wouldn’t see.  
The door opened a crack.  
“Yes?” he said, but didn’t come any further into the room.  
“I-I’m going to need a towel,” she said in a small voice. “Please?”   
He laughed, one of those big, belly laughs that made everyone else join in. Sanem found that she too was fighting a smile as he peeked around the door.   
“Is it safe?” he asked, eyes dancing with mirth.  
Sanem lifted her empty hands above water.   
“No more missiles,” she confirmed with a shy grin. 

***

“So how did you know about the tide?” Can asked, as he swiped a cotton ball with something acrid smelling over the cut on her thigh. 

Sanem couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath – but she wasn’t quite sure if it was because of the sting of pain or the touch of his fingers on the back of her bare thigh. 

She lay on her stomach, on his couch, in front of the fireplace in his living room, having another déjà vu moment, only this time the roles were kind of reversed from last night.   
Can sat on the floor next to the couch with an impressive array of medical supplies spread out around him, tending to her wound. 

“I take it you have never seen the Professor’s survival manual?” she asked to distract herself from both the pain in her thigh and the butterflies in her stomach, caused by the light touch of his hands, as he examined the small cut.  
“Survival manual?” he repeated. “No, can’t say that I have.” He chuckled.   
“Well, he has collected enough practical advice to fill a small encyclopedia in a binder the size of a world atlas,” she explained.   
Can laughed out loud at that.

“I guess it makes sense,” he said. “As smart as he is, my uncle always said that the professor was a walking disaster. I think he’s had just about every imaginable accident out here over the years. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s managed to get caught by the tide himself at one point.” Can laughed again.   
“He made me promise to review it when I got here – so I did.” She shrugged. “I didn’t want him to worry about me,” she added.   
“I didn’t realize he’d decided to pass on his first-hand experience to future generations,” Can said and bend down to blow lightly on the wound to dry the antiseptic solution he’d applied.   
“Not so much ‘pass on’ as ‘force feed’,” Sanem mumbled. Her voice sounded a little breathless she noticed.   
“But to be fair I was grateful for the tip about the tide,” she added with a rueful smile. 

“So you’ve actually sat down and memorized his accident-log?” Can asked, cutting strips of bandage to wrap around her thigh.  
“It’s not that big a deal,” Sanem mumbled evasively. She always hated when it got this part.   
“It is, if it’s as detailed as you say,” he insisted. “And knowing the professor I’m sure his advice is quite detailed.”  
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Sanem agreed drily.  
“So?” he looked at her questioningly. “Did he make you sit an exam on it before letting you out here?”  
Sanem sighed in resignation.  
“No, nothing like that,” she said. “He knows about my…memory-thing,” she added.  
“Memory-thing?” he asked, finishing up his handy-work. 

Sanem sat up and carefully tested her thigh. There was a bit of pressure but other than that she could sit on it.   
Then she looked him in the eye.

“I have a photographic memory,” she explained in a tone that spoke volumes of how many times she’d had to explain this over the years.   
“What, as in actual photographic memory?” he asked, sounding excited.  
“Yes, if I see something, I remember,” she said with a shrug.  
“Wow!” he said. “I’ve heard about that, but never met anyone who could actually do that. That must be awesome!”   
“Awesome?” she said, surprised by his reaction. “Not so much. At least not as a kid. People make you feel like a freak if you accidentally let on that you know weird details about them – even if it’s totally innocent and quite by accident,” she added, as awkward childhood moments replayed in her mind.   
“But it came in handy later, when I went to university.” She sent him a shy smile. Then she looked around for the sweat pants he’d brought her from his sister’s closet. 

“Thank you for this,” she said, indicating the white bandage around her thigh.   
“No problem,” he said. “The cut doesn’t look too bad, but I think you’ll be sore for a few days. There’s a nasty bruise coming in and I think it’s probably worse than the cut.” He busied himself packing away his medical kit while she carefully slipped the pants on over the bandage.  
“Still, I’d like to change the bandage tonight,” he said. “You know, just to keep an eye on it?”

Sanem felt herself blush at the thought of another session of him getting up close and personal with the backside of her thigh.   
“Uhm…I- you don’t have to do that,” she said. “I can manage. But thank you.”

He just looked at her, his brows rising in that inverted ‘V’ that made him - impossibly – even more attractive. Then he looked meaningfully down at her leg.   
“I’m coming over to check on it, Sanem,” he said, in a tone that didn’t invite argument.   
Sanem felt like she ought to protest, but she just didn’t have the energy, she decided.   
‘And maybe you’re not too unhappy with a repeat of Can’s doctor-performance?’ that inner voice pointed out.   
Sanem chose to ignore that.

“So, thanks for everything,” she said, pushing off the couch.  
Can looked up in surprise.  
“Are you leaving?” he said. “I think you should stay and rest for bit,” he hurried to add.   
Before she could object, he’d pushed her back down on the couch, and sat down next to her.  
“How about I make us some hot chocolate?” he suggested. “To help you warm up from the inside, you know?”

Sanem bit her lip, not sure what to do. Can looked so eager, she just couldn’t refuse. Besides, she was in no rush. She could take the rest of the day off. And he was right. Hypothermia was no joke. It was probably best to make absolutely sure she was fine before leaving.  
“Okay,” she said with a shy smile. “Hot chocolate sounds nice.”


	13. Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can is way more affected by Sanem than he had expected - or knows what to do with. And on top of that family issues are threatening to ruin his summer plans, including his attempts to get to know his summer guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay with this chapter - it got out of hand...too long, too boring so it needed doctoring (not the fun kind). Hope to post the next part later this week ;-)

Can studied her surreptitiously over the rim of his mug, as he blew on his hot chocolate. She was sitting cross-legged on the couch next to him, both hands wrapped around her own steaming mug, waiting for the hot drink to cool down enough to sip. 

She looked adorable in his sisters slightly too large clothes, he thought as he tried to relax back against the cushions. Derya was not nearly as tall as him but she was tall for a woman, and the sweatpants he’d found in her closet had to be rolled up a couple of times to fit Sanem. The sleeves of the loose-fitting sweater he had picked out, fell half way over Sanem’s hands, emphasizing that innocent waiflike quality she had, as she sat curled up, mug clasped in her sweater-covered hands. Adorable.

But that’s where his peace of mind ended, because the wide neck opening of the sweater kept falling off one shoulder whenever she moved, and that one naked shoulder made her look anything but childlike. 

Can swallowed hard as he watched her lift the mug to her lips and the sweater slid a little further down her arm. Her skin gleamed like silk in the warm glow of the afternoon sun slanting through the windows, and he had to tamp down every instinct that screamed at him to reach out and lift the sweater back in place, if only to have an excuse to touch that soft skin again. 

He hadn’t wanted her to go back to the cottage, but he also hadn’t taken into account how playing doctor had affected him and now he was paying for his impulsive invitation. 

Basically, he’d felt like a pressure cooker for the past hour, and he strongly suspected that it would take a lot less than a handful of warm naked shoulder to blow the lid! Which meant there was no way he was lifting that treacherous sweater into place. 

He shook his head in frustration, hoping to rid himself of the fog that seemed to have invaded his brain ever since he’d walked into that bathroom, only too aware that she had been two feet away covered in nothing but soapy bubbles! He had been unable to rein in his thoughts ever since, and was having trouble focusing on anything other than soft, naked skin.

He almost groaned out loud at the images his mind kept throwing at him. 

‘Get a grip, Divit!’ he silently admonished himself.   
As if she’d heard him, Sanem looked up, a quizzical look in her eyes.  
He didn’t trust himself to speak, so he just smiled at her.

“You know,” she said in that storyteller voice he’d already come to recognize. “When I was a kid, hot chocolate was my aunt’s go-to reward to me for anything from good grades to doing chores,” she smiled fondly at the memories. “Now I always feel like I’ve been patted on the head whenever I have it,” she laughed softly.   
“Praise in a cup?” Can laughed. “I like it,” he said, leaning over to playfully pat her on the head. But somehow his fingers wound up tangled in her hair instead and his hand slid through the soft tresses in a slow caress.   
Sanem blushed and gave him an uncertain look. 

‘What is wrong with me?’ he moaned inwardly. ‘She must think I’m a complete lunatic!’ 

He quickly pulled back his hand and started telling her about his father’s system of rewards and punishment, as he was growing up, finding himself unreasonably pleased whenever he managed to make her giggle.  
He watched her throw back her head in laughter, and he had to fight the urge to lean in and press his lips to her neck, in that soft spot just beneath her ear. 

‘You’re losing your mind, Divit,’ he thought and automatically rubbed his forehead as if it could erase the ideas his over-active imagination was conjuring up. 

Taking care of the wound on the back of her thigh hadn’t exactly helped matters either, he admitted to himself. Sanem had clearly felt awkward at first, lying down to let him examine the cut, but she’d soon relaxed and seemed so trusting of him. Of course that had only made him feel like a jerk for noticing the toned muscle under that soft skin, and the perfect curve rising at the top of her thigh, covered by that oversized sweater. 

Can suddenly realized that he was unconsciously smoothing one hand down his own thigh in imitation of the way he had imagined caressing hers. He clenched his fist, and glanced furtively at her. To his relief she didn’t seem to have noticed.   
He sighed and closed his eyes for a second, trying to get a grip. 

But his own mind seemed determined to trip him up, picking that moment to show him a flashback of when he’d bent to blow on the small cut on her thigh. That had been a mistake too, as it turned out. He’d told himself it had been necessary to dry the antiseptic before bandaging the wound, but it had tested his self-control way more than it should have, and he had come alarmingly close to finishing his ‘treatment’ with a soft kiss to the smooth skin just under the cut.

Can cleared his throat and bent forward to place his untouched mug on the low coffee table in front of the couch, desperately trying to think of something safe to talk about.

“Why history?” he finally settled on, hoping she wouldn’t notice how rough his voice sounded.  
“Sorry?” she replied, not following his abrupt change of topic. Thankfully she seemed oblivious to his inner struggles. 

She turned to look at him. Warm, brown eyes connected with his, and Can immediately lost his train of thought. How was he supposed to keep up a semi-intelligent conversation if she kept looking at him like that? 

What he needed was a distraction. Right now.

He rubbed a hand over his face, just to have an excuse to look away. 

“History.” He said, as much a reminder to himself as in answer to her question. “I was just wondering what made you choose to study history.” He risked a look at her face.   
“I mean, it’s not what I would have pegged you for,” he added, gesturing vaguely in her general direction.   
Sanem shrugged, seeming to work on a reply.   
“Actually, I’m doing a combined degree in history and literature,” she said, pulling a pillow onto her lap. She smoothed the fabric a couple of times with her hands. Then she started rolling a corner of the pillow between her fingers.   
Can’s gaze involuntarily focused on the nervous gesture.   
“I think…” 

The muted sound of a phone ringing somewhere nearby cut her off. They both looked around, and in unison they reached for their back-pockets. Both came up empty. Their eyes met and Sanem laughed. 

“I forgot I’m not wearing my own clothes,” she said. “Besides, my phone is busy drying out and debating whether or not to come back to life at all,” she added drily.   
“But mine was just here,” he mumbled with a frown, patting himself all over. 

Her eyes followed his hands, he noticed. Then she blushed and quickly looked away.   
Can couldn’t help a half-smile at her reaction.   
‘Nice to know she can get flustered too,’ he thought, as he half-heartedly patted crumbled pillows and a blanket crammed into the corner of the couch, trying to locate the phone. 

The phone kept ringing, and Can finally found it lodged firmly between two cushions.   
He fished it out, and turned it over to see who was calling. 

***  
The image of a beautiful, young woman with long, dark blonde hair flashed on the screen.   
Can smiled.

“I have to take this,” he said apologetically, turning just in time to see Sanem leaning closer, studying the picture on the phone screen with a frown.   
“I’ll just be a minute,” he assured her.

Sanem didn’t answer. She just nodded, and curled up with the pillow hugged to her chest. 

For some reason he had the impression she was suddenly upset about something, but he would have to figure that out later.

“Hey Sis,” he said as he answered the phone. 

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sanem sit up straight and look at him intently. He also couldn’t help but notice that the sudden move caused her sweater to make a precarious descent over her right shoulder and it seemed in danger of falling off entirely if she so much as shrugged. 

“What’s going on?” he croaked, his mouth suddenly feeling dry. He deliberately turned to look out the window to avoid the dark-haired distraction sitting next to him, happily sipping hot chocolate.   
“Can,” his sister’s familiar voice greeted him. “Sorry to disturb you at the cabin,” Derya said. “I know you wanted some alone time.”  
“I’m actually at the house,” Can said. “Long story. I’ll tell you about it later. But you can call me anytime, you know that.” 

There was a slight pause, and he thought he could hear her taking a deep breath.

“Derya?” he prodded. “What’s wrong?”   
“I was just wondering if dad said anything to you last week when you were here. About the company, I mean.” Her voice sounded strained he thought. More so than usual when the topic was work, and Can instantly sobered up.   
“Yes,” he said slowly, dragging the word out to a question. “But only the usual. You know the drill. ‘I want you to stop playing super-hero and come back and take over your responsibilities to this family, yada yada yada…’” Can made a derisive sound. “You know how he gets,” He added.   
“Only too well,” his sister snorted. “But this time I’m joining the choir Can,” she said quietly. Can frowned. This was unexpected. 

Derya was in many ways his polar opposite. For as long as he could remember she had wanted to join the family business and as soon as she had her business degree – graduated top of her class naturally - she had joined their father at the company. She was ambitious, driven and extremely business savvy, and she had never made it a secret that she was hoping to one day take over from their father and run the company. 

Can, on the other hand, had never wanted the family business. He had done the obligatory stint as a summer intern during his first years of college, but it had only confirmed for him that he wanted a different life for himself. Unfortunately, their father had other ideas.

“What are you talking about, Sis,” he asked, concern making him frown at the mug he had abstractedly been toying with.  
“He’s not well, Can,” Derya said. “He really should think about retiring...and I’m not just saying that because I want to take over. The doctor thinks he needs to slow down, but we both know that’s not going to happen as long as he’s involved in the company.” Derya sighed.  
“I know, I know,” Can said, running a hand through his hair. “I talked to mom about it too. She thinks she can get him to agree to a long vacation and she hopes to extend it indefinitely.”  
“Yes, I know,” Derya said. There was a loaded pause. “The thing is,” she continued. “He won’t go unless you’re here to fill in for him while he’s gone.”  
“Oh, come on, Derya!” Can said impatiently. “You and I both know that’s BS! That company is your baby, and you’re perfectly capable of running it on your own. He knows that too,” he added pointedly.  
“He’s just being a stubborn old goat,” Can grumbled when Derya didn’t speak. “You can hire extra manpower if you need it, but there’s no one more qualified to run the place than you!” He could feel the old frustration and anger rising to the surface now.   
“I know, Can, I know,” Derya said trying to calm him down.   
“But dad has this idea…”  
“I know only too well what ideas he has,” Can snapped. “But it’s nothing but an old-fashioned, stupid family-tradition that needs to end now!” He slammed a fist into the cushion next to him for emphasis. 

Sanem jumped at his side, at his sudden flare of anger, reminding him that he wasn’t alone. 

“Can, he’s refusing to give me temporary power of attorney until he’s talked to you,” Derya tried again. “Please Can, just come and talk to him,” his sister said. “I’m sure if we can just get him to take a break, he’ll come to his senses.”  
Can snorted.  
“Don’t hold your breath, Sis,” he said. “He’s not changing his mind and you know it. Maybe I should just take that assignment Denise wants me to agree to,” he said petulantly. “If I’m half way around the world he has no choice.”  
“I thought you wanted to quit free-lancing and settle down?” Derya said.  
“I do, I do,” Can said. “She’s just pushing for one more story, and I haven’t decided yet…” he trailed off with a frustrated sigh.   
“Look,” he said. “I’ll come and see dad as soon as possible, but I can’t agree to step in for him. You don’t want that. I don’t want that. And besides I’ve promised Jake that I’d help him out here on the island over the summer and I’ve already been booked for a couple of tours.”

Can sighed, running a hand over his face. 

“Okay, how about I call him and explain to him that I’m tied up at the moment,” he said trying to calm down. “I’ll come to the city as soon as I can and see him, but I can’t just drop everything here.”  
“Fine.” Derya sounded resigned. “Let me know when you can get here? And please don’t let this push you into doing the vampy red-head’s bidding,” she added with no attempt to disguise her contempt for his editor. 

Can chuckled. His sister had never liked Denise, and he wasn’t entirely sure she believed him when he assured her that nothing had ever happened between the two of them. 

“Will do. Just hang in there, Sis. We’ll figure it out,” he said. 

He disconnected and turned to face Sanem, an apology already forming on his lips.   
But the couch was empty. He had been so preoccupied he hadn’t even noticed her getting up.   
“Sanem?” he called out.  
There was no answer. The silence of the house suddenly seemed deafening.  
Can got up to look for her.   
“Sanem?” he called again. Still no answer. 

In the bathroom her wet clothes still hung over the shower curtain dripping puddles on the floor. But her sneakers were gone he noticed.   
He hurried to the kitchen, only to find that her phone that they’d left out on a dishrag to dry, was gone too.   
He returned to the living room.   
The only sign that she’d even been there was her empty mug on the coffee table and the abandoned medical kit on the floor. 

“Perfect!” he mumbled as he collapsed back against the cushions. The sunny afternoon suddenly seemed a lot less cheery.


	14. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanem's struggles with her past are triggered by Can's conversation with his sister - so she runs away. But he's not about to let her go with no explanation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm afraid this chapter ran a bit long - sorry...but hope you stay with me till the end :-)

Sanem fumbled with the lock on her front door. She was breathing hard, but that was probably normal after the strain of hobbling here from the main house on her sore leg, she told herself.   
Her hands were also shaking a bit she noticed, but that was most likely just because the chill wind was cutting right through the sweater she had borrowed. She’d left her wet windbreaker behind in her hurry to get home. 

Sanem closed her eyes for a moment, taking deep breaths.   
‘Don’t think about it! Don’t think about it!’ Her old mantra rang through her head.

Gradually, her heart rate slowed and her breathing evened out. 

She opened her eyes, and this time the key slid home easily. 

Sanem closed the door firmly behind her and sighed with mixed feelings of relief and regret.   
She ran a hand through her hair and stared unseeingly at the floor for a moment, trying her best to ignore the knot in her stomach. 

‘That was an odd decision,’ her inner voice quietly remarked. ‘Leaving like that…’

“Yeah well, I needed to breathe,” she heard herself answering out loud. “And besides, I was basically eavesdropping on a private conversation,” she added. “It’s not very polite, so I decided to give him his privacy, so what?”

But the lump in her throat was a pretty good indication that running away had very little to do with polite behavior. 

She didn’t feel like getting into an argument with her own sub-conscience though, so she decided on action over contemplation. First stop was changing into some of her own clothes, she decided, moving quickly down the hall to her bedroom. 

She peeled off Can’s sister’s clothes and pulled on her favorite pair of soft, faded jeans and the old Yale hoodie that always felt like a warm hug. Armored in her comfy-clothes, she folded the borrowed clothes in a neat pile and placed them on her bed. 

What she really wanted right now was to talk to Zoe, she realized, as she sank down on the bed next to the small pile of clothes. She needed her best friend’s advice more than ever. Back at the main house, as she’d listened to Can’s end of the conversation with his sister, and watched him get upset over some family-drama, the old feelings had resurfaced, threatening to overwhelm her, suffocating her. 

She had needed a little breathing space, away from the Can, so she could process in private. 

Sanem rolled her head from side to side, trying to ease the tension in her neck. 

But if she was being honest, she knew that running away from him hadn’t just been because of the feelings that his conversation had triggered.   
Being around him was just…confusing. 

Sanem frowned as she watched her feet draw endless circles on the floor. 

She wasn’t experienced in these matters but she felt like things were moving very fast between herself and Can… getting out of control actually, and she wasn’t at all sure what she wanted. 

On the one hand there was no denying that she was attracted to him. A lot. Like, a whole lot! 

She smiled and felt a blush creep into her cheeks as she recalled how it had felt when he carried her in his arms. 

But there were also a million reasons why it was a bad idea to do anything about that attraction, she reminded herself. 

Sanem sighed and pulled her phone out of her pocket, hoping that her lifeline had revived. But the dumb thing still showed no signs of life, so for now, a session with Zoe wasn’t an option.

She suddenly felt very tired, as if the excitement of the past few hours culminating in her near-anxiety attack had drained her of energy. A nap might make everything better, she thought. 

She scooted to the middle of the bed, grabbed the fluffy blanket draped over the bedpost, and snuggled up. 

She was just getting comfortable, when there was a loud knock on the front door. 

Sanem cursed silently. Then she stuck two fingers in her ears, and burrowed deeper under the blanket. 

The knocking continued. 

It was a pretty safe bet that her caller was Can. And given that she’d snuck out of his house without a goodbye or thank you, she had a reasonably good idea why he was here.

But she also really didn’t want to talk to him right now, she thought a bit petulantly. 

Sanem bit her lip, wondering if she could pretend not to be home. 

Probably not, she realized, since her car was out front, and there really wasn’t anywhere she could go on foot with that sore leg. 

She knew it, and he definitely knew it too.

There was another knock, more insistent this time. 

“Okay, okay, okay, I’m coming,” she mumbled, pushing the blanket aside with a feeling like she was waving goodbye to a life raft in open sea.

“Sanem?” Can’s voice carried easily though the house.

“Impatient much?” she grumbled as she got to her feet. 

Another round of knocking had her hurrying down the hall. 

“I’m coming,” she called out, suddenly worried he might actually let himself in with the spare key she knew he had.   
***

Sanem pulled the door open with a bit more force than necessary, just as he was about to knock again. 

“What?” she said, glaring at him. She didn’t move aside to let him in, but stayed on the step.  
“What do you mean, ‘What’??” he asked irritably. “Sanem, why did you leave like that? I was just on the phone for a few minutes!” He gave her an aggravated look. Then he seemed to take her in, from her stockinged feet to the top of her messy hair. His eyes finally searched her face.   
“What happened, Sanem?” he asked in a much calmer voice.   
“Did I do something to upset you?”   
“No! No, of course not,” she said, hugging herself around the middle, not daring to look him in the eyes.

Can silently studied her posture and the painstakingly blank expression on her face.   
“Talk to me, Sanem,” he demanded softly. 

When she didn’t answer immediately he stepped closer, forcing her to take a step back. He kept coming though, and before she knew it, he was in the hall, closing the front door behind him.   
Can leaned back against the door, hands pushed into the front pockets of his jeans. She could feel his eyes on her, but she still refused to look at his face. 

“Look, Can,” she said, turning around to head for the living room. “I’m really tired, and I’d like to be alone.” She stopped just inside the door and turned to face him. 

A quick glance at his face told her that he had no intention of backing down without an explanation. 

“Thanks for everything…you know, before,” she said waving a hand in the direction of the main house. “But I’m fine,” she continued, cringing at the slight quiver in her voice. “Just tired, that’s all.”

Silence greeted her short speech.

She peeked up at him and found him standing just inside the door, arms folded over his chest. He tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes as he studied her again. 

“Yeah, I can see that,” he said drily. “You’re just great!” He shook his head and moved towards her. Sanem quickly retreated to the bay window, turning her back to him as she pretended to admire the view. She hugged herself tighter and prayed he hadn’t seen the tears she could feel brimming in her eyes. 

“Sanem,” he tried again. “Look, it’s obvious that you’re upset about something, and…it seems to me it has something to do with… well, with me.” He sounded more uncertain this time.   
“Did I frighten you when I got upset? Did I make you uncomfortable somehow?” he insisted. 

Sanem took a deep breath. 

“It’s not you, okay?” she said, squeezing her eyes closed, hoping to stem the tears.   
“Could you just leave please?” she asked, desperately wanting him to go. But even she could hear how small and scared she suddenly sounded. 

There was a tense silence from the room behind her.

“Sanem,” he said softly. “If you think I’m going to leave you here alone while you’re clearly upset, and I’m in some way responsible, you can forget it.”

Sanem could feel the tears threatening to overflow, and was holding on to herself so tight, she was sure she would get bruises from her own grip. 

“Sanem?” he said, his voice sounding closer.

Suddenly she’d had enough. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone? Why did he have to go prodding at things that he knew nothing about? He had no right to keep pushing her like this! In a quick flare of anger she whirled around to face him, hands on her hips, eyes blazing through a sheen of unshed tears. 

“Just go Can, okay? Leave me alone!” she snapped.   
“Not until you tell me what happened,” he said in a tight voice, studying her face closely.  
“No!” she yelled. 

And then he was crowding her. Two long steps had him hovering over her, all respect for personal space abandoned, as he locked eyes with her, his nose almost brushing hers, his breath mingling with hers. 

A startled gasp escaped her and she felt her eyes widening. But she couldn’t look away. 

He didn’t touch her. He just stood there, holding her prisoner with his eyes, his gaze boring into her, silently demanding answers. 

But his eyes weren’t angry she noticed. They were confused and concerned, but also warm and kind. And somehow that kindness broke through all her defenses. 

“Please just go, Can,” she whispered, just as she felt a tear escaping, rolling down her cheek. 

With a mumbled oath he closed the last bit of distance, pulling her into a tight, warm hug. 

For a brief moment his action startled her.   
Then the tears were free flowing. 

Can just held her, mumbling words she couldn’t make out, as he stroked her hair. One big hand came up to cup the back of her head, holding her to him, as he slowly rocked back and forth in a soothing motion. 

Sanem didn’t fight it. She just leaned into him, resting her head on his chest, feeling like for the moment this was a safe place. She closed her eyes and sighed, relaxing into his embrace. 

His hands were stroking down her back now, rubbing calming circles that had her whole body humming. She vaguely wondered if he would mind very much if she just took a nap right there, in his arms. 

***

Sanem had no idea how long they stood like that, but eventually Can pulled back to look at her. His hands came up to cup her face, while his eyes studied hers with a seriousness that almost had her smiling. His wiped away her tears with his thumbs, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

“Are you ready to tell me what happened?” he asked quietly. 

Sanem studied his face for a moment. He was obviously not going away without an explanation, so she might as well get it over with she decided.

“It was really nothing, Can,” she began. But his lifted eyebrows stopped her short. His expression made it perfectly clear that evasiveness was not going to work. 

“What I mean is, it’s not something you did,” she tried again, momentarily distracted when his hands slowly slid down her arms. He was still looking into her eyes as he took her hands in his. 

“It’s not your fault,” she continued in a shaky voice. “It’s just something that happens to me sometimes.”

He was studying her closely as if trying to understand the meaning behind her words. 

“Look, this used to happen to me a lot when I was younger,” she said. “It hasn’t happened in a while now, so it just took me by surprise.” She shrugged and gave him a small smile.

“What exactly happened?” he asked.

“I-I used to get really bad anxiety attacks when I was young,” she said. “Like I said, it hasn’t happened in a long time, and this one wasn’t even really a full on attack.” She bit her lip. “It was more like … an anxiety-incident.” She tried smiling but he clearly wasn’t buying it. 

“Why today?” he asked with a frown. “Why did it happen while I was on the phone with my sister?”

Sanem gave him a long look, trying to decide how much to explain. 

“Come on Sanem,” he pushed. “One minute we were having hot chocolate, and sharing childhood memories, the next you…you were gone! And then I find you shaken up and crying…that’s not nothing, Sanem.”

“You were fighting with your family!” The words slipped out without her meaning to, and took Sanem completely by surprise. 

Can looked taken aback too, she noticed.

“So it did have something to do with my conversation with Derya!” he said. “I knew it!”

Sanem just looked at him. She really wanted to cross her arms over her chest but he was still holding on to her hands, his fingers laced with hers.

“I’m sorry if I frightened you when I got upset,” he said. “I really wasn’t mad at my sister, just so you know. And I’m not exactly fighting with my family...” he paused for a bit, biting his lip.

“I have a…a disagreement with my dad,” he finally said. “It’s been going on for years and sometimes it just gets a bit much.” He shrugged. 

“I wasn’t frightened, Can,” she tried to explain. “I was…angry. Jealous. And yes, then I got scared, but not because of anything you did.” 

Can frowned at her. 

“I don’t understand,” he said.

Sanem grumbled in frustration, and tried to pull her hands from his grip, but he wasn’t letting go.

“Of course you don’t!” she snapped impatiently. “You have no idea how lucky you are. I would give anything to be able to fight with MY dad. But I can’t. Ever.”

“What do you mean?” he said. “Are you not talking to your dad? Is that what this is about? I mean, I’ve noticed that you talk a lot about your aunt and uncle but never your parents, but I didn’t think anything of it…”

Sanem made an impatient noise and shook her head.

“I can’t fight with my dad because I don’t have one, okay?” she exclaimed, pulling her hands from his so she could run them through her hair. 

“In fact, I don’t have anybody!” she continued. “They died. My family died. All I have is my aunt and uncle. That’s it. And when I heard you talking to your sister, it just…well, I just got so angry with you for wasting time fighting with your dad. You never know when you’ll lose your family so don’t fight with them. They’re too important for that.” 

Sanem glared at him, quietly pleased that her little outburst had chased away the tears that had been threatening again. 

Can looked a little shell-shocked, she noticed. But he quickly sobered up and reached for her hand again. 

“Your parents are dead?” he asked.

“When I was eight,” she said. “Car accident.”  
“Sanem, I’m so sorry,” he said quietly.   
“It was a long time ago,” she shrugged one shoulder and looked away. “My aunt is a distant relative of my mother’s and she and my uncle took me in.”

He nodded. 

“What about siblings? Grandparents?” he asked.   
“Like I said, I have no one. No brothers or sisters. No grandparents. All I had was my mom and dad, but when you’re eight years old, you don’t realize how precarious that is. You don’t know how easy it is to lose everyone and everything, when that’s the only family you have.” 

Can didn’t speak. He just held her hand and waited. 

Sanem sighed shakily.

“I shouldn’t complain, though,” she said. “My aunt and uncle are wonderful people, and they’ve always treated me like a daughter. But they’re not my parents. I remember my parents. I remember our home. And I remember how it felt when they died.”

She looked at the floor for minute, trying to get a grip.

The she looked straight at him.  
“That’s why I used to get anxiety attacks. I would be at school or at a friend’s house and suddenly I would get the idea that something had happened to my aunt and uncle and I’d be completely alone in the world.” 

She licked her suddenly dry lips. 

“It got better as I grew older, but I still have those irrational fears at times.” She smiled a sad little smile. “I think that’s why I’ve never really travelled, never really been anywhere. I’ve been afraid to be away from my aunt and uncle for too long, you know?” 

He just smiled.

“Even coming here for the summer,” she continued, “has been difficult for me. I’ve never been this far away from them, and certainly not for this long.” 

She took a deep breath, feeling the tension gradually leaving her body.

“Maybe that’s why I reacted so strongly today,” she said. “I think I worry about being away from them, and then when I heard you talking…” she shrugged. “It’s silly, I know.”

“It’s not silly, Sanem,” he said squeezing her hand. 

She gave him a quick glance, a shy smile forming on her lips. 

She suddenly felt a little embarrassed about her emotional meltdown and dumping all her baggage on him like that.   
‘No wonder the poor man looks a bit shaken,’ she thought, giving him a furtive look.

Then she looked a little closer.

His eyes had turned very dark, and he seemed to be struggling with something.   
She watched as his gaze slipped slowly to her lips, and Sanem found herself nervously licking her bottom lip in response. 

His eyes grew even darker, and he made a sort of strangled, throaty sound.   
Sanem watched in fascination as he swallowed hard. 

He pulled slightly on her hand, making her take a step closer, bringing her almost as close as when he held her before. 

Sanem’s eyes flew to his. The look he gave her was so intense it took her breath away. His eyes seemed to be burning into hers, but there was also a question there that she didn’t understand. And she didn’t really care, she realized. She had questions of her own, but right now there was only one thing that she wanted. 

For the first time ever she really, desperately, wanted to be kissed!

The realization almost knocked her over. There were so many reasons why this man should be off limits, but somehow being this close to him, having told him things that she never shared with anyone, seemed to have knocked through all her walls and defenses. 

She wanted this, consequences be damned.

As if he’d read her mind, Can’s arm slipped around her waist, pulling her flush against him. He slowly bent his head, his eyes once again slipping down to her lips.   
Sanem held her breath in anticipation. Her eyes closed and she was suddenly burning up.

She thought she might actually go crazy if he didn’t kiss her this time. 

And then his lips were on hers. 

Sanem heard herself sigh in relief. 

At first his kiss was soft and gentle, teasing her, testing how far he could go, pulling back when she wanted more, pushing harder when she held back. A soft moan of frustration escaped her and it seemed to be the signal he’d been waiting for. His arms tightened around her, and his lips turned more demanding, parting her lips. He licked along her lower lip, making her open for him, taking the kiss deeper. His tongue tangled with hers, making her sigh into his mouth, and she felt a jolt of excitement as Can reacted to the sound with a moan of his own. 

Sanem lost all sense of time and place. Her only reality was Can’s lips on hers, his fingers in her hair, his arm holding tight around her waist, the feel of his beard against the heated skin of her face. She was only dimly aware that her own hands were busy exploring his arms, his shoulders, her fingers tangling in his hair. 

The intensity of the kiss had her reeling, but underneath the overwhelming sensations, was the strangest feeling of recognition. Like a reminder of something. 

But then Can angled his head differently and she forgot all about it. 

When Can finally broke off the kiss, Sanem found herself staring into his face. Her hands were firmly locked around his neck and somehow she didn’t seem to be able to give the command to move. 

Can was breathing heavily too she noticed, as reality slowly came back into focus.

He was looking at her in a strange way, she thought. Expectantly. Like he was waiting for something. 

Sanem wasn’t sure what, but she suddenly felt like there was something she was missing. Something important.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can is struggling with the fact that he has somehow lost control over the situation - but at the same time he's realized that there is no way he's walking away from this

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again - a bit long. Sorry. Not much time for writing these days, so I'll probably only do one chapter a week, so I'm cramming a bit more in there :-)

The early morning mist still hung between the trees, creating strange ethereal looking shapes as it shifted in the light breeze coming in from the bay. The rising sun was hidden behind a veil of pink and purple-hued cloud cover, giving a rosy hue to the dew-covered grass and brush vegetation covering the forest floor. 

The damp earth muted the sound of his feet slapping rhythmically on the dirt trail but his labored breathing broke through the morning quiet and startled a couple of white-tailed deer, grazing quietly in a small meadow. 

Can didn’t stop to admire the delicate fawn scampering away with its mother. He just picked up speed, pushing himself even harder. 

His lungs were burning, his arms and legs worked like pistons, faster, faster, faster. The trail was getting steeper too now, but the incline didn’t slow him down. He was dripping with sweat in spite of the chill of the morning, and he routinely wiped the sleeve of his black hoodie over his brow without pausing. 

The trail ended at an opening in the trees, where a plateau overlooked the bay below. 

Can burst into the clearing and finally let himself slow to a walk. He leaned over resting his hands on his knees as his breathing gradually returned to normal. 

It was useless, he realized. He wasn’t going to be able to outrun the thoughts churning in his head, so he might as well deal with them. 

With a sigh he straightened up, and shook out his arms and legs to disperse the acid burn. 

He didn’t like this feeling of not being in control one bit, he admitted to himself. He was usually quick to make a decision and follow through. But suddenly he found himself questioning every instinct, and even worse, somehow she’d managed to checkmate him, he realized. 

He just couldn’t believe it. 

They had kissed – again! - and she still didn’t know who he was? How could she not recognize him after that kiss? He didn’t really know whether to laugh or be offended. 

Granted, she had been in emotional turmoil and the whole timing of their second kiss had been less than ideal, he was willing to admit. But he was certain that even if he hadn’t already known her by her scent, that kiss would have proven to him beyond a doubt that she was the girl from the ferry. 

But Sanem had given no indication that she knew. 

Can ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair and growled out loud in frustration.   
It was driving him crazy. She was driving him crazy! This girl…cute, smart, beautiful and incredibly kissable… but apparently clueless. 

How was it possible that a girl, who claimed to have a photographic memory, couldn’t remember something as stupendous as that kiss? 

‘Maybe it didn’t impress her as much as it did you?’ the annoying voice in the back of his head offered. 

He scoffed at the thought. No way had she not been into that kiss! 

A slow smile relaxed the scowl he had been nursing even while running. 

She had definitely been into the second kiss too, he thought. It had been perfect in every way. Even better than the first time. He hadn’t wanted to stop and he was pretty sure she had felt the same way. 

Can felt like his insides were doing somersaults just thinking about it, and a big grin spread on his face.   
Then he sobered up a little. He really hadn’t meant to kiss her. Not after everything she had just told him, and while she still had traces of tears on her cheeks. That had not been his intention at all. 

But when she’d looked at him, the scared and sad little girl was gone, and instead her eyes had turned dark and passionate, the expression on her face had been soft, longing. And then she’d licked her lips. The pink tip of her tongue on that plumb bottom lip had been his undoing. 

Even the memory of it made him groan.

And that soft sigh of hers when he finally kissed her…he actually felt his toes curl in his shoes again now, that’s was the effect she had on him.   
“Stop it, Divit, get a grip,” he mumbled tapping two fingers on his forehead as if he could somehow stop the images playing in his mind. 

But it had been perfect. He knew it. The kiss had been perfect, and she had been perfect.  
Except for the tiny, annoying fact that she hadn’t recognized him.

The chill morning air seeping through his sweat-dampened clothes brought him back to the present and he could feel his muscles starting to stiffen up. He had better finish his workout and hit the shower, he decided, dropping to the ground for a series of push-ups. 

If he worked himself hard enough, maybe he could forget about his adorable and baffling summer tenant and the danger she was posing to his sanity, he thought, throwing himself into the mind-numbing workout ritual. 

***

The water was set as hot as he could take it, turning the bathroom into a steam room and making his skin tingle. Can leaned both hands on the cool tiles of the shower wall letting his head hang under the spray, drowning out all other sound as the scalding water cascaded down his body. But no matter what he did, the events of yesterday afternoon kept playing on repeat in his mind. 

With a sigh he grabbed his shampoo, poured a generous amount into his hand and started working it into his hair. It was getting longer than normal he vaguely registered, not really bothered   
enough to do anything about it. 

What he needed was a plan, he decided. The next move might be hers but there was no reason why he couldn’t nudge her along a little.

Yesterday they had kissed. And he just couldn’t get over how right it had felt. Nothing else – no one else – had ever felt that way. But he was also keenly aware of how precarious the situation was right now. She was so unpredictable, he felt like even the smallest wrong move on his part could make her run away. 

Which was totally unacceptable, he silently acknowledged. 

He leaned his head back under the spray to rinse out the shampoo, letting the water massage his scalp as it flushed out the suds. 

Images of yesterday played like a movie in his head.

After the kiss, she had been silent, just staring at him with a mixture of awe and shock. Her hands had still been around his neck, but he hadn’t pointed that out to her. He’d just kept holding her tight, not ready to let go either. Partly because he’d been struggling to get his own body under control, and partly because he’d still been waiting for the penny to drop. For her to realize that that wasn’t their first kiss. 

But there had been no recognition. In stead he had seen very clearly the moment she’d started to panic. 

Can reached for the shower gel and started lathering up his body, lost in thought.

He had known instinctively that if he didn’t calm her down right that minute she’d have gone down the rabbit hole and sent him on his way never to talk to him again. No doubt out of some silly notion that she had embarrassed herself or something like that. 

So he’d decided not to leave it up to her. Naturally. 

“Oh no, you don’t,” he’d said, and then he’d simply picked her up ad carried her to the couch, where he’d proceeded to sit down with her in his lap, ignoring her attempts to get up.   
“Can, let me go,” she’d said, struggling with his hold, her panic quickly turning into anger. But anger was better. That he could work with.   
“Nope!” he’d said, giving her a big, happy, smile, and tightening his arms around her.  
She’d glowered at him for a moment, but she’d stopped fighting him, and done that unfair lip-biting thing in stead, as she’d no doubt contemplated ways to get around him.

Can rinsed of the soap and then he just stood, head hanging, letting the hot water beat down on his body. 

“What just happened, sweetheart?” he’d said, lifting her face with one finger under her chin.   
She’d stared at him with eyes that had turned dark and mysterious.   
“We kissed,” she’d said in an almost whisper.  
“That we did,” he’d agreed with a smile. “I’m glad you remember.”  
“How could I forget?” she’d mumbled, looking down, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink.  
‘Yeah, that’s what I’d like to know!’ his inner voice had commented snarkily, but Can had just lifted her face again, so he could see her eyes.  
“Talk to me Sanem,” he’d said softly. “We kissed, and I think…”  
“But I don’t do that!” she’d interrupted him, a slightly panicky note in her voice again.   
He’d frowned in confusion, not really sure what she was saying.  
“What do you mean? You don’t kiss?” he’d said. “Surely you’ve been kissed before?”  
“No! I mean yes… I mean…” she’d sighed and moved restlessly in his lap. “I’ve been kissed before,” she’d said to his chest, apparently too embarrassed to look him in the face. “Twice. Although I’m not really sure the first one counts,” she’d continued with a speculative frown.  
“Whoa! Wait a minute,” he’d interrupted her, sitting up straighter but not letting her leave his arms. “You’ve been kissed twice? As in two times?” he’d stared at her incredulously. “Haven’t you had boyfriends? Haven’t you gone on dates?” 

He’d realized immediately that he’d touched a sore spot when her eyes shot daggers at him and she’d sat up straighter too. 

“Twice, as in two times, ‘no’ to the boyfriend, ‘yes’ to a few dates. So what?” she’d snapped, glaring at him defiantly. “I just don’t go around kissing people for no reason! What’s it to you?”  
“No, no, don’t get me wrong, Sanem,” he’d hurried to explain. “I didn’t mean to imply there was something wrong with that. I was just surprised, that’s all,” he’d tried to mollify her. 

But he’d also realized that kissing her like that had probably been more of a shock to her than he’d imagined, considering her lack of experience. 

And right on the heels of that thought, it had occurred to him that one of those two kisses had been the one they’d shared on the ferry. 

Can sighed and turned the water to its coldest setting, letting the icy spray hit his overheated body for a minute. The shock of the cold water was a welcome distraction, but it didn’t last long.

After her outburst, he’d been momentarily lost for words.

“Are you upset that I kissed you?” he’d finally dared to ask.   
“No!” she’d exclaimed, her eyes full of sincerity, as she placed a hand on his chest seemingly without thinking about it. 

Can absentmindedly rubbed the spot she’d touched, and turned the water back to hot.

“No, I’m not upset,” she’d repeated, but this time she’d blushed furiously.   
“I’m just not really sure what happens next,” she’d confessed with a cute little frown.   
‘Well, that makes two of us,’ he’d thought, but he’d wisely refrained from saying so.   
“You know, there’s no manual for this sort of thing,” he’d said with a smile, deciding to keep it light. “But I think it’s obvious that we’re attracted to each other.” 

She hadn’t answered, but she hadn’t disagreed either. 

“So, I think the logical thing to do is…get to know each other better,” he’d concluded, suddenly feeling nervous like a school boy as he waited for her reaction.   
“Logical…” she’d repeated slowly, biting her lip. Something about the gesture had made him think that maybe she was doing it deliberately. That maybe she’d discovered its effect on him. But it didn’t matter. It still made him want to kiss her till she forgot her own name.   
“Well, if we’re being logical about this… then I’ll think about it and get back to you,” she’d said flippantly, taking advantage of his momentarily lapse in concentration, and slipping off his lap. 

Can groaned and ran both hands over his face.   
“Checkmate,” he mumbled. “Her move.” 

***  
He had just turned off the shower when there was a knock on the front door. At this time of day, a knock on his door could only mean one of two things. It was either trouble, or his adorable neighbor…who really was her own special kind of trouble too, he thought with a wry smile. 

Either way, trouble was at his door, so he didn’t waste time drying off, but simply grabbed a towel off the rack and tied it around his waist. 

Dripping wet, but relatively decent, he padded barefoot down the hall to open the door. 

The chill air took his breath away as it hit his heated, wet skin, but he forgot all about the cold as his stomach tied itself into a million knots at the sight of her. 

He was vaguely aware that a huge, silly, smile, broke out on his face, but he was helpless to do anything about it, he realized.   
‘Very cool, Divit,’ he told himself mockingly as he took her in. 

She was wearing those tight jeans again today, he noticed, with a form-fitting, cream-colored turtleneck sweater. Her dark hair fell in soft waves around her face and she looked…well, she looked kind of dazed, actually, he realized as he took a closer look at her face. 

“Sanem?” he said, when she didn’t show any signs of speaking.

She didn’t appear to hear him. She just tilted her head slightly and narrowed her eyes as she stared at his chest. 

“Sanem?” he repeated. “Are you okay?”  
He reached out the hand that wasn’t holding on to the towel, and touched her shoulder. 

That seemed to jolt her out of whatever was going on in her head.  
“Huh?” she said, finally looking him in the eye.   
“Are you all right?” he asked again, frowning at her muddled state.  
“All right,” she repeated as if testing the words. Then she squeezed her eyes shut, and shook her head briefly. When she looked at him again she seemed to have pulled out of her trance-like state.   
“I’m fine,” she croaked, her cheeks flushing a delicate pink.   
“Come in please,” he said, opening the door wide for her. “The air is a bit cold,” he added with a half-smile.  
“Uh-huh,” she said in a strangled voice.  
“I was in the shower,” he added in explanation for his state of undress.   
“I’m sorry, I can come back later,” she said, already beginning to turn on her heel.

Can didn’t think, he just reached out and grabbed hold of her elbow, to stop her retreat. The sudden movement caused the towel around his waist to start slipping, and he had to scramble to catch it. 

Sanem made a strange noise and covered her face with her hands.

“Please,” he said. “It’s fine. Come on in.”  
She spread her fingers and peeked at him through their semi-cover, checking to see if he was decent, he gathered.   
He couldn’t help grinning as he tightened the towel around his waist and gestured for her to come in.  
“Go on in,” he said. “I’ll just throw on some clothes and then I’ll be right there.”

Sanem carefully stepped inside, almost as skittish as the fawn he’d passed earlier on his run, he thought, biting back a smile. She very pointedly looked away from him as she brushed past him, and hurried into the living room keeping her back turned to him. 

Can chuckled to himself as he closed the door and went to get dressed. 

There was no way he was giving her a chance to second guess her decision to come to him this morning, he thought, as he pulled on jeans and a long sleeved, army green t-shirt. He was very curious to find out what brought her to his door so early. Especially after the way they had left things yesterday. Had she finished thinking?   
He finished pulling on socks and sneakers and hurried back to his jittery guest.

“It’s safe to look now,” he announced cheerfully as he entered the living room, pulling his hair back in the easy half-bun he had started doing to keep it out of his face as it had grown longer. 

Sanem spun around from the window where she had been watching the clouds flitting across the sky. The wind was picking up again he noticed absentmindedly. 

“I’m sorry to disturb you so early,” she said, sounding strangely formal. As if she’ noticed it too, she shrugged and slipped her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.   
“No problem,” he said, dropping down on the couch. “I was up early and went for a run,” he added, gesturing for her to sit too. He left out the part about not being able to sleep at all last night after she’d effectively taken charge of…whatever this thing between them was.

She sat down at the other end of the couch, as far from him as she could get, he noticed. 

“I just came to ask for your help with something,” she said simply. 

Can raised a questioning eyebrow, but didn’t speak. This was not what he’d expected.   
The unresolved status of their…relationship, for lack of a better word, seemed by far the most important issue at the moment, he thought.

“Can?” she asked, when he didn’t answer her.   
“Yes, of course,” he said. “What do you need?” Unless she wanted help with some serious kissing, he was inclined to think it couldn’t be so very urgent.  
“It seems my phone has decided to stay dead after my tumble into the tide pool yesterday,” she said, smiling self-deprecatingly.  
“And I really need it, so I was wondering if you know if there’s a place here on the island where I can maybe have it repaired? Or will I have to send it to the mainland?” 

With an effort Can shoved down the thousand questions he wanted to ask her about the two of them, and focused on her problem.

“Well, there’s not a lot of options around here,” he said. “Most people go to the mainland to shop for electronics. The hardware store in the village have a selection of things but hardly what you’re looking for,” he added.

She looked dejected at that.

“But before you send it off for repairs, I think we should go and see Jake,” he said. “Jake actually runs the hardware store at the moment for his dad. And I’ve yet to see the piece of tech he couldn’t fix.”  
Sanem didn’t look overly confident in his friend’s abilities, but she shrugged and nodded.  
“I guess it’s worth a shot,” she said.   
“Great, then let’s get going,” he said, getting to his feet. “I was going in to town to see him today anyway, so I’ll take you to him.”   
‘And possibly get you to spill your thoughts on us while we’re at it,’ he thought.


	16. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanem is learning more about Can while starting to give in to the crazy attraction she has for him - Can on the other hand is running out of patience

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My weekly update - had to introduce a new character...and more will follow ;-)

“So who’s this Jake?” Sanem asked, daring a quick look in Can’s direction.

He was concentrating on the road so it was safe to look, she thought with a silent sigh of relief. He hadn’t mentioned their kiss, but she was uncomfortably aware that he was expecting an answer from her…and she got the feeling he wasn’t going to be very patient about it. 

‘Smart move, Sanem,’ she thought, mentally kicking herself. ‘”I’ll get back to you!”…You really painted yourself into a corner with that one!’ 

“Jake is an old friend of mine,” Can was saying, taking a sharp turn on the narrow, winding, road leading into the small town.   
“I’ve known him all my life,” he continued. “When we were kids my sister and I used to spend our summers here with my uncle. Derya used to hate it,” he chuckled. “But I always loved coming here. Jake was born and raised on the island and since we’re about the same age, we used to hang out whenever I was here. We would get into all kinds of trouble, most of it Jake’s ideas.” An amused smile lingered on his lips at the memories of his childhood summers. 

Sanem snorted. 

“I’m sure you had a hand in some of it too,” she laughed.

Can cast a quick glance her way, a mischievous smile on his face.

“Never!” he grinned.

“Anyway, Jake’s parents run the hardware store, as I mentioned, and they also own the local tour office that does trips for tourists during the season. They do hiking and camping trips into the mountains and the wilderness areas, and during the summer months they run a permanent campsite with small cottages. I used to love going there.”

Sanem watched him while he talked about the adventures of his childhood. He obviously had fond memories of the times he’d spent here as a kid. His face grew lively and he kept gesticulating with one hand. 

She was suddenly keenly aware that she didn’t really know much about this man in spite of the intimacy they had shared over the past few days. She turned slightly in her seat and studied him more closely as if his body language and facial expressions could fill in the blanks in his story. Maybe he had a point, she thought. Maybe they should get to know each other better. After all…what was the harm in that?

Feeling her scrutiny, Can turned to look at her questioningly.

Sanem felt her cheeks grow warm, but she just shook her head slightly and smiled at him.   
He looked back at the road, frowning slightly, clearly trying to figure out what was going on in her head.

“Can I ask you something personal?” she asked, partly to distract him, but also because she really was curious.  
“Sure,” he said with a sidelong glance in her direction. “Ask away.” He smiled at her, and casually reached over to give her hand a quick squeeze. Then he turned his attention back to the road.

Sanem cleared her throat, trying to beat down the butterflies that his casual touch had let loose in her stomach. 

“I was just wondering how come you and your sister spent your summers here with your uncle,” she said.  
“I mean, where were your parents?”  
Can ran a hand over his hair and sighed.  
“Well, my parents have always been very busy people,” he said. “They both worked a lot even when we were kids. The company was their first baby really,” he shrugged. “I don’t remember them ever taking a family vacation when I was young,” he continued. “But they didn’t think it was fair to keep us in the city all summer just because they were working, so they sent us up here to be with my uncle.” 

He seemed lost in memories for a moment. Then he smiled warmly.

“I didn’t mind. I’ve always loved it here. My uncle was my hero growing up,” he explained.   
“He’s the one who taught me survival skills, took me fishing, camping, hiking…all those things.”  
“It sounds like he was a good man,” Sanem observed quietly.  
“He was amazing,” Can agreed, his face lighting up as he started telling her stories about the old man. 

He was a good storyteller, and Sanem found herself unable to look away from him as he talked. 

The road took a sudden turn inland to wind around a small cove. Craggy rock walls hid the ocean from view and Can fell quiet as he concentrated on the narrow bends. 

“So Jake…he’s taking over his parent’s business now?” she prompted when he stopped talking.   
“Well, let’s just say he’s helping them out for now,” Can said, a little evasively.

The road looped back towards the sea, and they once more gazed out over the open water as they started the final stretch into town.   
Colorful wooden houses and a small harbor came into view. It looked serenely beautiful from the distance, she thought.

“But you think he can help with my phone?” Sanem could hear the scepticism in her own voice.   
“Oh I’m sure of it,” Can said. “If it can be fixed, Jake can fix it.” He sounded so confident, it sparked her curiosity all over again.  
“Who is this guy?” she blurted out before she could stop herself. Can’s stories had left her with the image of an adventurous and reckless ten year old, with scraped knees and windblown hair. Not a man who could perform first aid on complex electronic devices. 

Can cast a quick and amused glance her way.

“Jake is a bit of a tech genius,” he said. “He’s an MIT graduate with so many honors it’s ridiculous. By rights he should be working for one of those big tech companies raking in money, or fiddling with top secret government projects or something like that.” Can ran a hand down his beard, tugging slightly at the chin part. An unconscious gesture, she’d noticed, whenever he was deep in thought about something.  
“He’s good.” Can squinted into the sun that was finally breaking through the cloud cover.   
“When we were kids, he was always taking apart anything electrical to see how it worked. Then he’d put it back together or even improve on it.” He shook his head in wonder.   
“He just seems to have a natural understanding of mechanics and electronics.” Can said. 

Sanem bit her lip in contemplation. 

“But if he’s that good, how come he’s working in a hardware store on a small island?” she asked, not quite buying the praise of a childhood buddy. 

Can looked out over the water again, and shifted in his seat. 

“That’s not really my story to tell,” he finally said. “Let’s just say there are reasons.” He glanced at her and shrugged. 

Sanem studied his profile for a bit, curiosity about his friend quickly taking a backseat to her fascination with the man next to her. 

The sun was turning his hair a glowing mahogany brown that complemented his light tan. His powerful frame looked at home behind the wheel of the jeep, one muscular arm resting causally on the side door window, the other firmly gripping the wheel. Every time he had to shift gears the denim stretched tight over his thigh as he worked the pedals, and she had to look away, suddenly feeling hot and confused. 

“Don’t worry,” Can said, pulling her gaze back to him. “Jake is a great guy. You’ll like him.” He smiled at her.   
For a brief moment Sanem stared at him trying to remember what he was talking about.  
“Right,” she said abruptly. “I’m sure.”   
Can slowed down for the final turn into town, and then they were on Main Street, heading towards the small harbor.

***  
“Can!” a tall man with shaggy, dark-blond, hair exclaimed as soon as they entered the store. He rushed out from behind the counter, and proceeded to man-hug Can with lots of backslapping and loud laughter. 

“I expected you a week ago,” the tall man said when the greeting-ritual finally finished. “What kept you?” As if in answer to his own question, the man turned a pair of brilliant blue eyes on Sanem, giving her an appreciative look. 

“Or maybe the question is who kept you?” he said with a grin, looking back at Can and waggling his eyebrows suggestively. 

“Jake,” Can said with a slight frown. “This is Sanem. She’s staying at the cottage for the summer,” he added. Sanem couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t elaborate.

“What? The professor’s cottage?” Jake asked. Without waiting for an answer he turned his attention back to Sanem, extending a hand in greeting.  
“Very nice to meet you Sanem,” he said with an infectious smile. His blue eyes sparkled with laughter and mischief, and Sanem found herself instinctively liking him.

He was almost as tall as Can, and obviously fit, but in a less muscular way. He had a roguishly charming face, and with the surfer hair, the scruffy beginnings of a beard and those sea-blue eyes he looked like a friendly pirate, she decided. 

“Nice to meet you too,” she said shaking the proffered hand, giving him a warm smile in return.   
“What brings you to our little island?” he asked, holding on to her hand. “And how did you wind up in this grumpy fellow’s guest house?” He stage-whispered while pointing in Can’s direction.   
“Sanem works for the professor,” Can interrupted, taking a step closer to her in a subtly proprietary gesture.  
“Ah, yes, I think mom mentioned that the professor’s assistant was going to stay,” Jake said. Then he turned back to Sanem and smiled. “I don’t know why, but for some reason I’d gotten the idea that this assistant was a man.” 

His eyes wandered freely, taking her in, from the top of her windblown hair, to her white sneakers. 

“Obviously I was misinformed,” he said with a laugh, winking at her conspiratorially. 

By her side Can seemed to grow a head taller as he glared at the hand Jake was still holding.   
Jake grinned, gave her hand a final squeeze and released her. 

Sanem had the bizarre thought that letting go of her hand was a smart move, assuming that Jake wanted to keep his hand attached to his arm. Can was giving off some very territorial vibes that she didn’t completely understand. 

But Jake seemed totally unconcerned as he chatted to Can about the store, his parents and something about an up-coming trip. 

Sanem soon stopped paying attention. She was too busy taking in her surroundings. 

The hardware store was not at all what she’d expected. Yes, it had the usual bit of building supplies, paint, plaster, tools, electronic equipment and heavy duty cleaning products. But next to those items were stacked hunting and fishing gear, camping gear and surfing equipment. And more surprising were the sections with books, artwork, quilts and other home decorations. There was even a small table displaying some unusual jewelry that Sanem suspected must be by a local artist. 

A person could easily get lost in here, she thought as she looked around. 

The place was overflowing with stuff, like an Aladdin’s cave, and she could almost believe that any object she might desire could be found somewhere in the overstocked, dark corners of the store. 

She’d drifted away from the men while she tried to wrap her head around what went for ‘hardware’ here on the island, but the sound of her name had her looking around for the two of them. 

“Sanem?” Can’s voice called again from behind a pile of boxes of dog food.   
“I’m here,” she said, weaving through the chaotic arrangement of items for sale.   
Can and Jake were leaning over a table covered in maps and papers.  
“Planning a treasure hunt?” she asked, still not entirely convinced that Jake wasn’t a pirate and the store a display of the loot from his pilfering.   
“Depends on what your treasure is,” Jake laughed and winked.   
Can shook his head at his friend and turned to look at her.  
“Remember I told you that Jake’s family runs the tour office? We’re planning a hiking tour for a group of tourists coming over next week,” he explained.   
“Jake’s a bit short on guides this year, so I’m helping out over the summer, taking out a couple of the groups.”

Sanem got the impression that there was a bit more to it, but he didn’t volunteer any more information.

“Anyway,” Can said turning his attention back to Jake. “We actually need your help with something else today. Sanem’s phone took a dive into one of the tide pools and we were hoping you could take a look at it? Tell us if it can be fixed or if we need to buy a new one?”

Sanem felt a blush creeping into her cheeks at Can’s liberal use of the word ‘we’. It obviously hadn’t escaped Jake’s attention either, she noticed, as he gave them both a speculative look. 

“Sure, I’ll have a look at it,” he said.

Sanem fished around in her backpack until she located the dead phone, and handed it over to Jake.

“Thank you for doing this,” she said.   
“No problem,” Jake smiled at her.   
“I love a chance to fiddle with something more challenging than the old cash register.” He laughed and pointed over his shoulder at the monstrosity on the counter that looked like it belonged in a museum…right next to an outpost telegraph.   
Sanem couldn’t help but return his smile.   
“I’ll get right on this, and have it done for you in about an hour?” Jake said.  
“Really?” Sanem said. “That fast? Thank you so much!” She gave him a big smile and briefly touched his arm.   
“Yes, thanks Jake,” Can said gruffly, taking the hand she’d rested on Jake’s arm and tucking it under his own.   
“We’ll be back in an hour then,” he continued, quickly steering them them towards the door. 

Sanem turned to say goodbye, but Can placed a hand at the small of her back, practically herding her in front of him.   
“Thanks again, Jake,” she called, flashing him a smile over her shoulder. 

The last thing she saw before Can had her out the door was Jake watching them with an amused smile. 

***

Can’s hand stayed firmly on the small of her back, as he lead her down Main Street.  
It felt nice, she decided, even if the gesture suggested an intimacy she wasn’t really sure he intended. 

‘And that really is the big question, isn’t it?’ she silently admitted to herself.   
What were his intentions? What had that kiss meant? What did his casual touches mean?   
If only she knew…

Sanem sighed, earning her a searching look from Can. 

She ignored him, pretending to study the cookie-cutter storefronts lining this part of Main Street. 

But it was all she’d been able to think about since yesterday.   
Why had he kissed her? Had it been a pity-kiss for the poor orphan-girl? Or had it been an ‘I can’t-stand-it-when-women-cry-so-I’ll-distract-her’-kiss? Or was he being honest when he’d said that he was attracted to her? 

And so what if he was? Was that what she wanted? Was she ready to start…something based purely on physical attraction? Because surely that’s all it could be, right? After all, they’d only just met.

On the other hand there was no denying the fact that she was attracted to him. In a way she’d never experienced before. It was so intense and all consuming she had to wonder if that’s all it was. Physical attraction. 

Sanem glanced up at him furtively. He looked relaxed and ridiculously…dangerously, handsome as he guided her down the street. His big hand was splayed across her lower back, his warmth seeping through her clothes. 

A memory of his hands on her thigh as he bandaged her wound flashed through her head, and she almost groaned out load. 

She really needed Jake to fix her phone, she realized. She was so far out of her depth with this romance-stuff, and she was in desperate need of some Zoe-therapy!

And on top of it all there was that nagging feeling, she’d had ever since they’d kissed. The feeling that she was missing something…

She was twisting a lock of hair around a finger, deep in thought and not really paying attention to where they were going, when Can suddenly pulled to a stop in front of a narrow storefront. It was painted baby blue, and had a quirky hand painted sign that read ‘Miss G’s Coffee Pot’.

“I could really go for a coffee,” she said longingly, looking up at the sign.  
“Good,” Can chuckled. “This is the best coffee shop in town.”   
Then he grinned.   
“It’s also the only coffee shop in town,” he whispered, sending a tingling feeling down her spine, as his lips brushed her ear.   
“Great,” she croaked, turning to face him.

He was looking down at her, a small smile playing around his lips. He reached out and tugged a lock of hair behind her ear, letting his fingers trail down her neck until his hand finally came to rest on her shoulder.

For a crazy moment she wondered if he was going to kiss her again. Right there on Main Street, in broad daylight. 

He leaned down, his nose brushing lightly against hers, his lips hovering just out of reach. 

Sanem held her breath, staring at his mouth. 

She licked her lips, and felt herself sway towards him.

“I’ll buy the coffee,” he murmured, his breath tickling her cheek. “You think about how you’re going to answer my suggestion from yesterday.”

Then he turned her around and opened the door to the coffee shop.

Sanem gulped, even while feeling foolishly disappointed that he hadn’t kissed her again.  
Right, she thought weakly.  
Gloves were definitely off now.


	17. Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can is not going to let her stall any longer, and insists on getting her to admit that there's something between them. Sanem on the other hand still has reservations - not because she doesn't have feelings for him, but there are other concerns...and then she makes a discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week's update is a little early because I'm going away for a few days - and that means next week's update might be a little late. So, sorry in advance ;-)

The small coffee shop was cozy and warm, and the smell of dark roast coffee, baked goods and cinnamon was thick in the air. It was also surprisingly busy with mid-morning customers in search of a sugar and caffeine fix. 

Can did a quick survey of the eclectically furnished shop. By the window two women were seated in big overstuffed armchairs, heads close together, in deep conversation. Along one side of the room, a long counter served as a table for a number of bar stools, all of them occupied by people with laptops and oversized coffee mugs. It even looked like all the mismatched chairs and tables spread out on the floor were taken. 

Can frowned as he took in the packed room.

Even if they could squeeze in somewhere, a crowded coffee shop was hardly the ideal place for the conversation he had in mind. 

He turned to Sanem, who was still looking a little shell shocked he noticed with a slight pang of guilt.  
“Let’s get the coffees to go,” he said. “There’s a pretty spot out by the lighthouse that I want to show you.”

He didn’t bother mentioning that it was also conveniently secluded, so the risk of interruption would be minimal. 

Sanem glanced around the noisy café and nodded her consent. Then she turned around and started studying the coffee-menu written out in colorful chalk on a blackboard over the counter. 

Can had just turned to do the same when there was a loud squeal and a brown-haired tornado in a baby blue apron launched herself into his arms.  
“Caaaan!” the tornado yelled.  
Can automatically caught and steadied her, before he drew back to get a good look at her.  
“Gee!” he exclaimed with a big, happy grin. “What are you doing here? When did you get back to the island?”  
“What do you mean, when did I get back?” she asked, playfully punching his arm.  
“I’ve been back for ages. You’re the one who’s constantly globetrotting, or jet-setting or whatever it is you do,” she finished, stepping back to get a better look at him.  
Can waved her off with a half-embarrassed grin.  
“Jake just mentioned you’d gone for another audition or something,” he explained. “I thought you’d left CeyCey in charge of the coffee shop”  
“I did, but I don’t like to leave the shop in his crazy hands for longer than necessary,” Gee said, rolling her eyes. Then she gave him a more thorough look-over.  
“You look good…for an over-sized playboy,” she said with a wink.  
Can gave her a lop-sided smile and mussed her hair.  
“And you look as perky as 10 espressos,” he said. “What did you do? Test-drive the entire coffee-menu before opening this morning?”  
Gee stuck her tongue out at him, light flashing off the round metal stud piercing it.  
“That’s new,” Can said, pointing at her mouth, eyebrows drawing together in a not entirely approving expression.  
“Calm down big boy,” she said, patting his chest. “You’re not my brother, so you don’t get to have an opinion,” she added archly and turned on her heel to head back behind the counter. 

She leaned both elbows on the counter and rested her head in her hands, in a practiced move, settling in for a talk.  
Ordinarily Can would have happily spent hours catching up with her, getting the latest gossip on anything that moved on the island, but today he had more important things to attend to.  
On that note he looked around for Sanem.  
She’d drifted off to the side while he chatted with Gee and was studying the display of cakes and desserts with way more interest than it merited.

“Sanem?”

She turned around, a politely bland expression on her face. 

“Sanem, come and meet Gee,” he said holding out a hand to her.

She didn’t take it, but she did step closer and shake the hand that Gee held out.

“Hi,” Gee said with a friendly smile. “Nice to meet you. And since Tarzan here doesn’t seem to remember my real name, it’s Güliz,” she added with a smile.

Can vaguely noticed a strangled sound coming from Sanem when Gee called him Tarzan, but he dismissed it as unimportant, when Gee turned a questioning look on him, and he belatedly thought to make proper introductions.  
“Sorry,” he said. “Sanem is staying here for the summer. She works for the professor,” he explained to Gee. 

He turned to Sanem.  
“Gee runs the coffee shop,” he said.

“I kind of gathered,” Sanem said drily, indicating the baby blue apron the other woman was wearing, with ‘Miss G’s Coffee Pot’ stitched on it in darker blue. 

Then she smiled apologetically at Gee.

“Sorry,” she said to Gee. “I’m usually not such a grump. I just have a lot on my mind this morning,” she added with a pointed look in his direction. 

Can grimaced and ran a hand down his beard. Sanem was obviously peeved about something and he had a pretty good idea what that something was. 

“Gee and I are old friends,” he tried to explain. “She used to hang out with Derya all the time when we were younger.”  
“Yeah, but only because your obnoxious friend thought a girl couldn’t tag along when the boys got themselves into trouble,” Gee scoffed.

Can grinned at her. He remembered vividly how Gee had tried to follow him and Jake on their harebrained adventures, but usually Derya had been the one to put a stop to it.  
“As I recall it, Jake wasn’t the reason you stayed behind,” he said with a meaningful look. “In fact, I’m pretty sure he was the reason you tried to come in the first place,” he teased.

Gee blushed a pretty pink and fanned herself. 

Then she turned to Sanem.  
“Have you met Jake?” she asked in a conspiratorial voice.  
“Yes,” Sanem nodded. “We’ve just been to see him actually. He seems nice…” she trailed off, casting an uncertain look at Can, when he couldn’t help a low grumble at the reminder.  
Gee looked between them. Then she grinned and leaned closer to Sanem.  
“Jake is a bit of a ladies’ man if you know what I mean,” she said with a wink. “Not in a sleezy way,” she hurried to add. “It’s just that…well, you’ve met him. He’s such a charmer and easy on the eyes too, isn’t he?” she said with a dreamy look on her face.  
“Yeah, yeah, the whole world loves Jake,” Can interrupted impatiently.  
“Look Gee we really just stopped by for coffee to go.” he said briskly. “We have some…business to attend to, and then we’re heading back to Jake’s.”  
Gee gave him a funny look, but then she shrugged.  
“You better come back for a real chat soon,” she said in a mock stern voice.  
“And you,” she said aimed at Sanem. “Come back when you can and I’ll give you the scoop on everything and everyone on the island,” she winked and started making their coffees. 

***  
The old lighthouse was elevated on a rocky promontory at the far end of the small natural harbor. Both the lighthouse itself and the adjacent keeper’s house were painted white, and the thick glass encasing the lantern room at the top of the lighthouse, glinted in the sun. 

“It’s not in use anymore,” Can explained as they made their way along the rocky footpath leading from the harbor to the lighthouse.  
“But the town keeps it functional and well maintained for tourists.” He took a sip of strong black coffee.  
“And of course it is really pretty,” he added as he admired the white buildings perched on the edge of the grey rock against a backdrop of deep blue ocean.  
“Very pretty,” Sanem agreed, taking in the scenery with obvious delight. She seemed to have recovered her good mood and had either forgotten his demand for answers or was deliberately stalling. 

Either way, she looked adorable, and he couldn’t help smiling as he studied her.

She clutched her coffee in both hands and turned to look out over the water. Her white windbreaker had been zipped up for protection against the wind, and the white of the jacket contrasted beautifully with the dark hair, falling in soft waves around her face. She closed her eyes and turned her face up to the sun, reveling in its warmth against the chill that was still in the air. She looked perfectly content and at peace, he thought.  
‘And incredibly tempting’, his inner voice pointed out with unerring accuracy, as his eyes lingered on those up-turned, slightly parted, lips.  
With a longing sigh, he pushed a stray lock of hair away from her face.  
She jumped slightly at his touch and her eyes flew open.  
Streaks of amber and gold lit up pools of dark chocolate where the sunlight hit her eyes.  
A man could lose himself in eyes like that, Can thought helplessly, as he held her gaze, unwilling to break the spell.  
Sanem didn’t show signs of moving either. For a long moment they just stood there gazing at each other. Finally, Sanem drew in a sharp breath and turned to continue down the last stretch of the footpath.  
Can scrambled to catch up, and they continued in silence till they reached the square tower. 

“So…are we going to talk about this?” Can said, casually blocking her way by leaning against the side of the building in front of her.  
Sanem gave him a speculative look and lifted the cup to her lips, taking a sip of coffee.  
‘Buy time all you want sweetheart,’ he thought. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’  
He folded his arms across his chest and settled in to wait her out.  
She gave him a furtive glance from under her lashes but kept on sipping coffee.  
Can almost laughed.  
He could practically see the frantic workings of her mind.  
He let her procrastinate for another couple of minutes, before running out of patience. 

“Enough!” he finally said with a disarming smile. He pushed off the wall and took the now empty paper cup from her hand. He dumped it in a nearby waste container and then, wasting no time arguing, he simply grabbed her hand and led her around the back of lighthouse.  
Hidden from view from anyone approaching from town, and with the ocean at their feet, he turned to face her, determined not to let her squirm out of this. 

“Now quit stalling,” he said, taking both her hands in his and facing her.  
“I’m not stalling,” she argued, even though everything about her screamed ‘evasive action’.  
“Sure,” Can chuckled  
“I’m not!” She exclaimed indignantly. “But what you’re asking is a pretty big thing, you know.” She huffed and pulled her hands from his grip.  
“I mean, it’s hardly the sort of thing you can just accept or decline like a…like a dinner invitation!”  
“It’s really not that complicated, Sanem,” he said patiently. “It’s actually pretty simple. You either agree that there is something between us worth exploring – or you don’t!”  
He locked eyes with her, willing her to accept the obvious truth, which for some reason seemed to have her scared and running.  
“Yeah, well, I don’t think it’s simple at all,” she said, her fingers tracing nervous patterns on the hem of her windbreaker.  
“This is all happening too fast,” she mumbled turning away from him to look out over the water. She folded her arms around her middle, hugging herself tight.  
“Don’t tell me you don’t feel something, Sanem,” he said a little more sharply than he’d intended.  
“I know this is mutual. That kiss yesterday? That was absolutely not one-sided. There’s chemistry between us that’s been sending off sparks like fireworks for days now! You can’t deny it.”  
“I’m not denying anything,” she snapped, spinning around to face him again.  
“But so what if I’m attracted to you? That doesn’t necessarily mean we should be doing anything about it. It doesn’t mean we have to…get involved” she finished lamely.  
“Oh, come on, Sanem!” he said, running both hands over his hair, feeling his frustration grow.  
“We’re both adults. What are you afraid of?”  
“I’m not afraid!” she said with a stubborn expression on her face.  
Then her eyes flickered and her shoulders sagged.  
“Well, maybe a little.” She admitted in a more subdued voice, she glanced up at him out of the corner of her eye.  
“You know, I’ve never really been in a relationship before,” she added hesitantly.  
“I mean, not a romantic one anyway…” she blushed and looked at her feet.  
“And you and I…we’ve only just met!” she looked him in the eye this time, a lost look on her face. 

Can pushed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and watched her squirm.  
He was going to let her talk this out for now, he decided, but if she thought he was going to let her throw away something that could be amazing, just because she was scared, she had another thing coming!

“I have no idea how to do this,” she continued haltingly, when he didn’t speak.  
“I mean…it’s been less than a week since I had my first kiss. It’s been less than 24 hours since my second and now you’re pushing me for answers?” she flung out her hands in exasperation and started pacing back and forth.  
“I thought you said you’d been kissed twice before,” he pointed out with a grin, mentally kicking himself for interrupting her tirade.  
Sanem glared at him, and he had to bite his cheek not to laugh at her icy expression.  
“I wasn’t aware that you were keeping score, but let me rephrase then – I had my first real kiss less than a week ago,” she said in a tight voice.  
But her tone of voice did nothing to diminish the warm glow that suddenly spread in his chest at the realization that he’d been her first ‘real’ kiss too…whatever that meant. 

“Seriously!” she grumbled under her breath, kicking at a small rock. She watched as it tumbled over the edge of the rock wall and disappeared into the water below.  
“It’s like the world has gone mad since I left the city. There’s got to be something in the water out here! First the man on the ferry, now you…”  
She mumbled something else he couldn’t quite make out. 

Then, abruptly, she stopped pacing and frowned, a look of intense concentration on her face.  
Can watched and waited, trying hard not to smile as he watched her rant and process. 

Suddenly her eyes widened, her mouth formed a perfect ‘O’, and then she went very still. 

“Sanem?” he asked cautiously.

But she just held up a finger to shut him up.  
She was biting her lip, seemingly deep in thought. 

Can’s gaze immediately zeroed in on her mouth. The sliver of white teeth making an indentation in that soft, pink, flesh…”  
With an effort he tore his eyes from her lips and shook his head.  
But she seemed oblivious to his struggles as she continued to do what had to be quantum physics in her head, he assumed. She was certainly thinking very hard about something, but he was at the end of his tether. 

“Sanem?” he repeated, starting to worry. 

This time she looked up at him, eyes narrowing as she studied him as if seeing him for the first time.  
She stepped closer to him, her eyes never leaving his face.  
Can briefly felt like he’d turned into a rare specimen on display, as she kept studying him.  
Slowly she lifted a hand and carefully ran it over the beard on his chin. She tilted her head, examining his face. Then her eyes travelled down his body. His chest, his stomach, lower…  
Can realized he was holding his breath and squirming under her intense scrutiny.  
Suddenly she gasped and took a step back. 

“When did you say you visited your family in the city?” she croaked.  
“What?” he said, perplexed at her abrupt change of subject.  
“You mentioned that you’d just been to see your family in New York,” she insisted. “When did you get back?” 

Can narrowed his eyes and studied her for a second. Had she completely lost it, or was this some new stalling tactic?

“I came back to the island the day you arrived,” he said with a shrug. 

Her eyes flew to his, wide in shock…and something else.

“Sanem?” he asked again, but before he could ask what was going on, she’d closed the distance between them with a determined look on her face.  
Her hands came up to cup his face, rubbing lightly over his beard. She rose on tip toes…and then she kissed him. 

For a long moment Can didn’t react at all. He just stood there too surprised to move.  
Then instinct took over and his arms encircled her waist. One hand travelled up her spine to tangle in her hair and cup the back of her head, as he angled his head to deepen the kiss.  
All sound seemed to fade away and his only point of awareness was the woman in his arms. The press of her warm body, the soft lips moving against his, their tongues tangling, their breaths mingling.  
She made a soft sound and he responded by hauling her even closer against his body. Her scent teased him, making him want to get closer still.  
Her hands were busy roaming over his chest and shoulders like she was trying to memorize every ridge and bulge of muscle. He could feel the softness of her breasts through their clothes as he crushed her to him, briefly afraid that he was hurting her. But she just sighed into his mouth and reached up to push her fingers into his hair, rising even further on her toes.  
Finally, the need for air was too great and they broke apart. 

The world seemed to have gone silent. 

Gradually, as his ragged breathing slowed down, the volume turned back up and the sound of seagulls crying and the soft whoosh of waves washing up against the rocks slowly returned.  
Can stared at her in wonder.  
Her eyes were still closed as if she was reliving the kiss, memorizing it or something. Her lips were slightly parted, her breathing as uneven as his.  
Then, slowly, she opened her eyes and met his stunned gaze.  
“You!” she said softly.


	18. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanem is slowly warming up to the idea of a relationship but she still has her reservations. Can on the other hand is all in and doing his best to convince her...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so...back from my trip and had a lot to cover so this chapter (again) got a bit long.

Sanem was reeling. She felt like the world had just tilted slightly on its axis, leaving her with a disturbing feeling of vertigo even as she stood with both feet firmly on the rocky ground, supported by Cans arms. 

Her hands were still pressed to his chest, and she could feel his elevated heartbeat under her palm. He felt familiar, solid and real, but at the same time he had suddenly turned back into a stranger.

Can was the man from the ferry.   
There was no doubt about it.

He was the man who’d saved her from a nasty fall, and then proceeded to knock her off her feet with a kiss that had scrambled her brains and left her dazed and confused but also desperately wanting more.

Sanem blinked up at him, trying to figure out where to go from here. 

“You remember,” he mumbled, his husky voice doing strange things to her insides.   
He looked…pleased, she noticed. 

Then something occurred to her.

“You knew?” she asked, pulling back slightly to get a better look at his face. 

He nodded, giving her small crooked smile. 

“But…when? How? What…why didn’t you say something?” Sanem’s brain was firing questions at her and she hardly knew where to start. 

An uncertain expression flickered over his face. Then he shrugged.  
“I recognized your scent,” he said matter-of-factly.   
“My scent?” Sanem frowned. What was he? Some sort of wild beast navigating by his senses? What was he talking about?  
“Your perfume,” he clarified. “Whatever it is, it’s very unusual.” He studied her face, his eyes suddenly turning dark and his gaze hooded.  
“It’s very…enticing,” he said, his voice gravelly.

Sanem gulped, unable to look away from him.

“It’s…I…” she cleared her throat and tried again.  
“I don’t wear perfume,” she finally managed. “I use a scented cream…” she gasped as he bent his head and buried his nose in her hair just below her ear. He slowly traced a line from the hollow beneath her ear, down her neck, pushing her sweater out of the way as he sniffed her skin.

Sanem closed her eyes and stood still, completely overwhelmed by the sensations his touch was eliciting, and at the same time desperately trying to process this new situation.   
Her belly clenched and her legs felt like they were going to give out under her, as his beard scratched the soft skin at the base of her neck. His hand on the small of her back was pulling her closer, and for a moment, she let herself melt against him, lost in the heady, tingling feelings that were quickly spreading everywhere as his sniffing turned into a feather-light kiss against a spot on her neck where she suddenly felt her pulse flutter wildly.

The piercing cry from a nearby seagull abruptly broke through the haze that seemed to have settled on her brain. 

“Can…” she mumbled, pushing against his chest.  
He lifted his head to look at her, but he didn’t release her.   
Sanem tried to step back, but he just frowned and tightened his hold on her.  
“Can, please…” she muttered, pushing against him again. This time he dropped his arms, but he immediately caught her hand in both of his as if he was afraid she’d take off if he let go.   
‘And he might not be completely wrong about that,’ she thought to herself, as she fought to get her racing heart and addled brain to function normally again.

Sanem took a shaky breath. 

“I have questions,” she said giving him what she hoped was a firm look.  
“Okay,” he said. “Fire away.”  
He smiled happily at her, tucking her hand under his arm and steering her along the footpath that wound it’s way past the lighthouse and back towards the town.   
“Can,” she insisted, tugging at his arm to try and get him to look at her. He stopped and turned to face her, lifting a hand to swipe a few strands of hair away from her face. 

He seemed completely at ease now as if everything had been resolved to his satisfaction, she realized with an annoyed frown. 

“Can, pay attention, please,” she said catching the hand that kept touching and stroking her hair. 

He laced his fingers with hers and looked at her expectantly. 

“Can, if you already knew I was the one you kissed…I kissed…if you already knew we kissed on the ferry, why didn’t you say anything?” she asked haltingly.  
“Ah, that,” he said looking a little bashful.  
“Yeah, that,” she pressed.  
“Well…” he actually looked a little embarrassed she noticed with curiosity.  
“At first I expected you to realize it too,” he explained. “But then you didn’t, and…I was quite frankly a little shocked you didn’t realize it after we kissed yesterday,” he added, suddenly sounding slightly offended. But then he smiled and raised her hand to his lips.   
“But…” she started, but got sidetracked by his lips nibbling on her hand.   
“Okay, when exactly did you realize it was me?” she asked, determined not to get distracted by his cute behavior.  
“Earlier,” he mumbled, not looking her in the eye.  
“How much earlier?” she asked pointedly.   
He sighed and rolled his eyes.  
“Sweetheart, you kept falling into my arms that first day we met,” he said as if that explained everything. 

Sanem narrowed her eyes and kept looking at him.

“I think the first time I didn’t notice because it was outside and windy,” he said. “But then…that night, in the cottage. You stumbled and I caught you,” he shrugged. “And I felt it. Your scent.”  
“Huh,” she said, biting her lip. “And…remind me again, why exactly you didn’t say anything?” she asked, feeling inexplicably hurt, like he’d been having a private joke at her expense or something.   
“Well,” he said looking a little uncomfortable. “I was thinking about it, but…” 

Sanem pulled her hand out of his grasp and folded her arms over her chest, waiting for his explanation.

“The thing is, Sanem,” he struggled on. “I was a little scared how you’d react to be honest. I mean…It was a pretty crazy thing to do…kissing you like that. On the ferry, I mean,” he added giving her a nervous look. 

She was enjoying his sudden discomfort way more than she probably should, she realized, but she was sick of feeling like the one who was constantly caught on the hop. 

“I mean, I was kind of shocked that I did it,” he continued. “I still don’t know what made me do it exactly, except that scent of yours…” he reached out a hand and stroked the side of her face lightly.  
“I’ve never done anything that impulsive before,” he said. “And I guess I wasn’t sure what you thought about it, so I…I think I wanted us to get to know each other better first. So that you’d know me and not just think I was some creep who kiss strangers in the dark?” he said with a self-deprecating half smile.

Sanem gave him a long look through narrowed eyes, thoughts churning in her head.   
Then, coming to a decision, she carefully placed her hand back in his and turned to continue their walk along the path.   
She could feel his eyes on her as he followed along beside her.

“I didn’t think you were a creep,” she mumbled, hoping he wouldn’t notice the blush creeping into her cheeks.

He gave her hand a squeeze and kept walking.  
He looked relieved, she noticed as she peeked up at him. 

***

Can seemed in no hurry to get back to Jake’s shop, and for once, Sanem was happy to let someone else take charge while she processed everything.   
At first they strolled back along the footpath into town, enjoying the sunny day. Can never let go of her hand as they walked and Sanem didn’t comment on it. She silently admitted to herself that she liked this new situation. She liked holding his hand, even if she wasn’t really sure what it all meant. 

But she’d come to a decision. She was going to just enjoy today, see where it took her, and deal with the consequences later. 

She felt like her insides had been scrambled and everything was one big confusion, so now was not the time to try and solve anything anyway. 

Besides, she really needed to talk everything through wit Zoe, she told herself.

But if she was being completely honest with herself, she knew that she really didn’t want this feeling to end. This giddy, bubbly, feeling that was like champagne in the blood, that made her want to run and jump and scream out loud with joy, but somehow also left her tongue-tied and feeling exposed. She usually hated feeling helpless but this overwhelming rush of emotion and energy was strangely addictive. 

It even made her surroundings look more vivid. 

Like the cheerfully painted houses that were like splashes of bright color against the grey rock, or the sun glinting off the small choppy waves in the harbor sending sparks of silver and glittering gold into the air. Even the garish yellow raincoat of a fisherman tending to his gear looked festive and cheery in the bright spring sun.  
Sanem sighed happily, and turned her face up to the sun. 

She felt Can’s eyes on her and the butterflies in her stomach fluttered in response. 

Once they reached the end of the footpath Can steered them away from the center of town. Sanem looked up in surprise but didn’t question it. She was choosing to go with whatever he had in mind…for now.   
He smiled down at her, swinging their entwined hands between them as they walked. 

Can took her down a sunny boardwalk that ended in a sandy stretch of beach just on the edge of town. A small wooden building, painted red and white, sat at the end of the boardwalk, a cluster a picnic tables spread out on the rocky ground around it.   
A hand painted sign announced it to be “The Shack”, and a lopsided drawing of a lobster indicated what kind of business The Shack was in. 

“Are you hungry?” Can asked eagerly, turning to face her.   
Sanem’s stomach rumbled. She hadn’t noticed before but she was actually pretty hungry.   
“I can eat,” she laughed, rubbing her tummy briefly.  
Can’s eyes followed her hand as she rubbed circles on her lower belly.  
“Me too,” he mumbled.  
Then he cleared his throat and led her to one of the picnic tables.  
“Prepare yourself for great things!” he announced expansively, and grinned. “This place has the best lobster you’ll ever taste,” he added, as she seated herself on the bench.  
“Bring it on!” she laughed and watched him walk away to place their order. 

Fifteen minutes later they were both tucking into the biggest and juiciest lobster roles Sanem had ever seen. The sweet lobster meat was fresh out of the water and the buttery rolls baked that morning at the local bakery, the young waitress who brought the food over informed them proudly.   
And Sanem had to agree that the simple food was exceptionally good. It probably didn’t hurt either that they were eating it outside in the spring sun, looking out over the ocean, the smell of sea and pine trees scenting the air. 

Sanem sighed happily as she chewed, smiling at the stories Can was telling her about places he’d been and people he’d met.  
She looked up from her food and met his smiling eyes, and for one moment it was like time slowed down and everything just stopped.   
And for that one moment Sanem felt perfectly happy.   
It was so intense it almost took her breath away, and all she could do was sit there and take it in.

“Sanem?” Can’s voice pulled her out of her reverie.   
“Are you all right?” he asked.   
She nodded and took another big bite of her roll, not quiet trusting her voice. 

What was happening to her? She’d never felt this way before. If she wasn’t so happy she’d have said she was coming down with something, but she was feeling extremely bubbly and energetic…and also overly emotional. 

She swallowed and dabbed her lips with a paper napkin. 

Can was still looking at her funny, but he seemed appeased when she smiled at him. He reached across the table and gave her hand a quick squeeze. Then he turned serious. 

“Actually, I was wondering about something,” he said uncertainly. 

Sanem tilted her head and looked at him.   
He looked a little shy, she thought.

“You said before that you didn’t think I was creepy for kissing you that day on the ferry,” he began. Sanem felt her cheeks heat. So he’d heard that…  
“I was just wondering…what did you think?” he looked at her nervously. “I mean,” he continued, “you’ve told me it was your first real kiss, and it must have been pretty…unexpected…?” he trailed off. 

Sanem couldn’t help the burst of nervous laughter that escaped her.  
“Unexpected is an understatement,” she agreed with a smile. Then she considered his question more seriously.   
“I’m not entirely sure what I thought,” she said. “I mean, at the time I’m sure I didn’t think at all.” She blushed as the memory of that kiss played in her head again.   
“I think it all felt so surreal. Because of the dark, and the adrenalin rush from falling, all of it was just…a lot.”  
“Is that why you ran away?” he asked quietly.

Sanem bit her lip as she thought about it.

“I’m actually not sure,” she said truthfully. “I think I just didn’t know what else to do,” she shrugged. “I wasn’t scared or anything,” she added as it suddenly occurred to her how it might have looked to him. “Just very confused and overwhelmed.”  
“And what about now?” he asked with a cute smile.  
Sanem returned his smile and shrugged again.  
“Scared, confused, overwhelmed, and a whole lot of other things,” she admitted.

He studied her face for a moment. Then he nodded.  
“Let’s get out of here,” he said gathering up their trash and carrying it to the waste bin by The Shack.  
“So…” he said, as he returned to the table.   
“Are you ready to go and pick up your phone?”. He was smiling at her, but she also sensed a hesitation.   
“Yeah, let’s go see what the verdict is,” she agreed reluctantly, suddenly unwilling to burst the happy bubble they were in.

***

Sanem drifted by the small kitchen table one more time, glaring balefully at her newly revived phone sitting on top of the mess of papers, books and laptop that had been gathering dust since yesterday morning. 

The phone seemed to glare back at her, and she quickly turned her back, deciding that what she really needed right now was a nice cup of tea. 

She filled the kettle, and started rummaging around for her favorite tea, a small teapot and one of the professor’s dainty little teacups. The ritual of tea making was both automatic and soothing at the same time, and she could feel herself starting to relax even before she poured the first cup.   
Sanem picked up her tea, planning to curl up in the big easy chair by the bay window and watch the clouds while she sipped. 

But as she walked by the kitchen table her eyes strayed to the phone again. 

Was it her imagination or did the thing actually seem to pulse with recrimination?

She quickly looked away and practically ran for the safety of the easy chair.   
She tried humming to herself as she curled up, teacup precariously balanced on one knee, and leaned her head back against the overstuffed cushions of the chair.   
But no matter how much she pretended to be at ease, she could feel it calling to her.  
With a mumbled oath she put the cup down on the small side table and went to pick up the phone. 

She was grateful that Jake had managed to save her phone, she reminded herself. It was pretty much her lifeline and she needed it for work, for keeping in touch with her aunt and uncle…  
’And for conferring with Zoe,’ a small voice in the back of her head helpfully pointed out.   
Sanem pulled a face. 

She wasn’t entirely sure when or why it had happened, but somewhere between strolling from The Shack to the hardware store, hand in hand with Can, and arriving back at the cottage, phone in hand, she’d lost the desire to call her best friend.

In fact, it was a bit more than that. She’d suddenly started dreading telling Zoe what was going on.

And she wasn’t sure why.

Normally she’d tell Zoe everything, and crave her advice. Even this morning, while she’d been walking around town with Can, she’d been longing for a chance to mull everything over with her friend.  
And it had been her excuse for some alone time once they got back from town.   
But now she was dragging her feet.

‘You’re scared’, the voice in her head observed.   
“Nonsense,” she scoffed, picking up her teacup.  
‘You’re scared Zoe will tell you to slow down and be careful, or maybe even to step away from the hunky landlord,’ the voice insisted.  
“No I’m not!” Sanem said indignantly. “For one thing Zoe is always encouraging me to have flings, and for another…it’s my decision. Not hers!”  
She took a sip of the rapidly cooling tea.   
“Besides,” she mumbled. “She doesn’t know him at all.”

As if she knew she was being talked about, Zoe picked that exact moment to call. 

Sanem jumped in her seat, staring at the phone in her lap as the smiling face of her best friend flashed on the screen.   
She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, took a deep breath and answered. 

“Hey,” she said, hoping she sounded relaxed and carefree.  
“Hey yourself,” Zoe’s sunny voice came back at her.   
“I just wanted to check in,” Zoe continued. “And to make sure you remember to come up for air and not spend the entire summer with your nose in a computer.” 

Sanem flushed guiltily. If only Zoe knew how little time she’d spent working and writing these past few days…

“Yeah, about that…” she said hesitantly. Then she took another deep breath and decided to bite the bullet.

Once she started talking it all came spilling out. Everything that had happened since Can showed up. Their constant run-ins, the kisses, the storm, the incident on the beach, his doctoring and their long talks over tea and hot chocolate. Even their recent excursion to have her phone fixed and the semi-understanding they’d reached.   
The only things she left out were the completely overwhelming feelings she had whenever he touched her. And the way he scrambled her brains every time he smiled at her. Or how flustered he made her whenever he was near. 

When she finished talking there was a long silence. 

“Holy s…!” Zoe finally sighed in an awestruck voice.   
“Wow girl! When you finally make a move you really go all in,” Zoe sounded both pleased and slightly dazed, she thought.  
“Make a move?” she asked. “I didn’t exactly make the moves here. I mean, things just kind of happened,” she shrugged forgetting that Zoe couldn’t see her.   
“Sweetie, you’re in love!” Zoe said as if explaining something to a five year old.  
“All I had hoped for was that you’d have a fling, have some fun over the summer and get some of all those kisses life still has in store for you,” she continued before Sanem had time to react.  
“I never expected you to fall in love first time out of the gate!” he friend said gleefully.

Sanem’s mind was whirling and she felt like the whole world was once more off kilter. Maybe there was something seriously wrong with her, she wondered hazily. 

“Love…?” she croaked in a voice she hardly recognized as her own.  
“Don’t be silly Zoe,” she continued sounding slightly hysterical.   
“I’ve only just met him! How can I be in love?” she insisted, even while her insides were busy rearranging themselves to this new possibility.   
“Honey, you don’t need to know someone for years to fall in love,” Zoe said.   
“And it sounds to me like you and Tarzan next door have been head over heels pretty much since you tried to club him with that tennis racket.” She sounded annoyingly smug, Sanem thought.  
“Ridiculous,” she muttered under her breath.   
“It’s probably just hormones,” she said a little louder. “I mean, I’m not denying that I’m attracted to him,” she speculated out loud.   
“I’m…okay it’s possible it’s a little more than just an attraction,” she conceded thoughtfully, not even noticing that Zoe was letting her carry on the conversation on her own.  
“He is crazy handsome,” she said dreamily. “And he’s actually incredibly sweet…and he can be charming when he wants to,” she added.   
“Well, that’s a start,” Zoe chuckled. “You’ll get there in the end Honey, I just know it!”  
“Yeah? Well, I’m not really sure I want to ‘get there’,” Sanem said defensively.  
“You do know who he is and what he does for a living, right?” she asked her friend.  
“Oh yeah, I googled him the minute you told me about your meet-cute,” Zoe laughed. “And can I just say, you have fine taste in men my friend!”  
“But did you get to the part about him being a freelance reporter flying all over the world ten months out of the year?” Sanem countered. “And did your search reveal the fact that he’s a freedom-holic who never seems to settle anywhere or keep anyone close, including his family, and who’ll take off at a moment’s notice to report on the next big crisis?”

Sanem sighed heavily as her own innermost reservations came pouring out unexpectedly.

Zoe was silent for beat. 

“I see,” she said calmly.   
“You see what?” Sanem asked grumpily.   
“Sanem, sweetie,” Zoe said. “I know you. And I know your greatest fears in life, so yes, I see how a man like that would scare you.”  
“It’s just that I’ve never been in a relationship before,” Sanem said, not denying her friend’s observations.  
“And I’m just not sure I can cope with starting one with a man, who might up and leave any moment! It seems kind of…self-destructive,” she continued. 

For a moment neither of them spoke. 

Then Zoe sighed. 

“Look, Sanem,” she said. “There are never any guarantees when it comes to love and relationships. He could have the steadiest job in the world and be the homiest of homebodies and he could still break your heart. If you try to protect yourself from all possible dangers of heartache you’ll never have anyone in your life.”  
Sanem made a noncommittal sound.  
“I mean it Sanem,” Zoe said. “Don’t lose out on something amazing because you’re scared.”  
“When did you get so smart, Dr. Zoe?” Sanem grumbled. But then she laughed and shook her head.   
“Okay enough about my love-life,” she said, more than ready to change the subject.   
“When are you coming to visit?”  
“No, no, no,” Zoe insisted. “No deflecting. Promise me you won’t think this to death. Promise me you’ll give it a shot. Seriously, what do you have to lose?”  
‘My sanity and a big chunk of my heart?’ she thought.   
But she didn’t say it out loud.  
“All right, all right! Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a bit of a bully?” she said. “But I promise I’ll see where this goes. I’ll be all Zen and go with the flow for now, okay? Happy now?”  
Zoe chuckled.   
“I have a feeling you’ll lose your ‘Zen’ the minute Tarzan is in sight, but I’ll take the promise.”  
“Good!” Sanem said in a definitive voice.   
“Now can we talk about your visit?”


	19. Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can's date-plans backfire a bit...but he gets more information out of it than he'd expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo...Christmas is here and I'm finding it a little difficult to squeeze in writing between work and holiday activities, so...updates may be a bit irregular over the next few weeks.

Can was humming happily as he entered the last leg of the tour into the logbook and added the data in the shared map-system on his computer. Now all that was left was the usual prep. The lists of equipment and supplies had to be double-checked and he needed to confer with Jake to make sure there was nothing else he should be aware of with this particular group. 

He took another sip of coffee and leaned back in his swivel chair, taking in the views from his office window.

His ‘office’ was really the former dining room that overlooked the bay below. He always ate in the kitchen or in front of the fireplace in the living room anyway, so he’d seen no need to keep a formal dining room. It wasn’t like he was in the habit of throwing dinner parties or anything like that anyway. 

He smiled wryly at the thought. 

Dinner parties were his parents’ thing. Growing up, he’d hated their dinner parties. They’d always been for networking purposes of course – never just social events. And as he grew older, he’d been expected to take part. He’d dreaded the formality, the stilted conversation, the constant awareness that everyone had an agenda, everyone was working an angle.

No, dinner parties were definitely not for him. 

Besides, he loved working from this corner room where large windows on two sides ensured plenty of daylight, and the unobstructed views of the rugged beauty of the island made him feel less cooped up while he worked. 

Can swiveled in his chair, turning to the window that faced the ocean.

The bay below looked beautiful and serene bathed in the afternoon sun with only a light wind ruffling the surface of the water. 

Further out to sea a couple of smaller sailboats were making the most of the beautiful spring day, and on the horizon a bigger ship was just visible.

Can sighed in contentment, momentarily feeling at peace with the world and everything in it. 

An image of a pair of warm, chocolate brown, eyes popped up in his head, making his stomach do a quick flip. 

He felt a smile tugging at his lips. 

How long had it been since he’d watched her walk back to the cottage? A few hours, tops. But already it felt like too long. He’d planned on spending all day with her after their morning in town, but she’d insisted she needed to get some work done.   
He’d resisted, but the truth was he really needed to get to work himself, so in the end he’d agreed to let her go. 

But he wasn’t planning on staying away for long. 

The buzzing of his phone interrupted his thoughts, and he reluctantly tore himself away from pleasant thoughts involving his fascinating next-door neighbor to check who was calling.  
A picture of Jake in wrap-around sunglasses and windblown hair, on top of a mountain, popped up on the screen of his phone.

Can grimaced, but then he caught himself. 

He’d been really short with his friend earlier today and that overly conscientious voice in the back of his head informed him that he might - possibly - have been a bit rude. Jake may not have let on that he had taken offense but Can knew him too well. The man was not nearly as Teflon-covered as he pretended to be.

“Jake!” he said in an up-beat tone, as he answered the phone.   
“Hey,” Jake said, his perpetual deflective laugh audible even over the phone.   
“I was actually just about to call you,” Can continued, deciding to get the awkward part over with right away.   
“Oh yeah?” Jake said. “Any more phones need fixing? Or did you actually want to talk to me this time?” he asked acerbically. 

Can ground his teeth but managed to bite back the sharp reply on the tip of his tongue.

“Very funny Jake,” he said.   
Then he sighed.   
“I do owe you thanks for fixing Sanem’s phone. She’s very grateful,” he added. “So am I.”

There was a loaded pause.

“Look, Jake,” Can said. “I’m sorry if I was a bit gruff earlier.” 

Can swallowed, debating whether or not to explain, but decided against it. He wasn’t really in the mood for answering questions about Sanem, and his friend would no doubt have hundreds. 

“I just had some stuff on my mind,” he finished vaguely.   
“Yeah, no problem,” Jake said, in his normal, easygoing manner.   
“You know I enjoy fiddling with tech-stuff, and I’m used to your miserable personality, so don’t sweat it.”

Can smiled as he recognized his friend’s version of ‘apology accepted’.

“Hey, just how grateful do you think Sanem is?” Jake added as an afterthought.   
“Do you think she’d be up for coffee or dinner or something?” 

Can almost took back the apology and had to bite his cheek not to growl out loud. 

“I mean, I wouldn’t mind spending an evening looking at her, if you know what I mean,” Jake continued. 

Can almost choked at his friend’s suggestive tone of voice, and suddenly had an urge to hit something.

“Besides, it would practically be charity to take her out, right?” Jake prattled on, apparently oblivious to his friend’s murderous thoughts.   
“The poor girl knows no one on the island and she’s stuck all the way out there with nothing but your grumpy face for company. I should give her a call, right? Yeah, I think I’ll give her a call,” he finished decisively, not waiting for Can to join in.

“Jake!” Can growled unable to restrain himself any longer.

He took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. 

“Stay away from her, okay?” he added in a strained voice. 

“Sanem is not avail…she’s not like the girl’s you usually date...or whatever it is you do,” he trailed off. 

Sweat broke out on his forehead, as a disturbing image of Jake and Sanem swam before his eyes. He suddenly felt like the top of his head was about to blow off. Blood pounded in his ears almost drowning out the sound of Jake’s chuckles over the phone. 

“Can?” Jake said. “Are you okay?”

Can had to concentrate on breathing in and out, and didn’t respond, afraid what he might say.

“Relax, man!” Jake laughed. “I’m just messing with you.”

“Did you really think I didn’t notice your alpha-male behavior in the store this morning? You were putting up so many ‘keep out’ signs it was like you were staking claim to new and undiscovered territories.” Jake chuckled. 

Can slowly unclenched the hand that had come precariously close to ripping off the armrest on his chair.

“So don’t worry. I got the message loud and clear. The professor’s pretty little assistant is off limits. And since I’m not really looking to have my front teeth knocked out, I’ll be keeping a friendly distance,” he said good-naturedly.

Can’s breathing finally started easing up as the tight band that seemed to have been squeezing his chest region slowly loosened up. 

“Who’d have thought,” Jake continued, seemingly unaware of his friend’s struggles.   
“Can Divit is in love!”

Can felt a jolt at his friend’s words. 

‘Love?’ he thought. ‘Am I in love? Is that what this is?’

“Yeah, well,” he said, clearing his throat. “I don’t know about the love-part, but yeah, Sanem and I, we’re…there’s…she’s special. I like her a lot,” he finished lamely, grateful that his friend couldn’t see how flustered he suddenly was. 

“You like her?” Jake practically howled with laughter. 

“No, my friend, you’re way beyond ‘like’. Trust me, I’ve ‘liked’ a lot of girls, and this is not ‘like’. I saw the way you were looking at her, man.”   
“And it was pretty hard to miss the way you were looking at me when I so much as breathed in her direction,” Jake added pointedly. 

Can made a noncommittal sound, not quite willing to concede his friend’s observations. 

“I’ve never seen you like this before,” Jake said in a conversational tone. “I think I’m going to enjoy this! The great Can Divit brought to his knees by the love-bug!”   
“Oh, shut up,” Can mumbled, but he couldn’t help the grin that spread on his face at his friend’s words.   
“Speaking of…” he said in a deliberate attempt to change the subject.   
“Are you ever going to ask Gee out? You know she’s had a crush on you since…well, since forever I guess,” he said.  
“Oh, come on!” Jake whined. “Don’t go there. You know I don’t see her as a girl,” he said.   
“She’s like a sister to me…a baby sister…that’s just gross, man.”   
“Well, she is a girl, Jake,” Can said calmly, feeling much better now that conversation had moved away from his own affairs.   
“A very sweet, pretty one too, and for some unfathomable reason she seems fond of you,” he added.   
“No!” Jake said in a definitive tone. “I can’t, so don’t you dare interfere in this, Can. I mean it.”  
“Don’t worry,” Can said. “I’m not. I just thought I’d throw it out there in case you’d missed it. Gee is too good for a player like you anyway.”   
“Okay, if we’re done trashing me, can we maybe get to business?” Jake interrupted, an uncomfortable note in his voice.

Can grinned to himself, pleased to have steered Jake away from the subject of Sanem, and started going over the details of the up-coming tour. 

***  
Dusk was starting to creep into the kitchen, but vivid streaks of purple and orange still colored the sky, casting the clouds on the horizon in shades of gold and pink.   
Can hardly noticed as he checked the contents of the box an extra time. Everything seemed to be in order. He tucked a bottle of wine into a corner of the box, and slipped a corkscrew into his pocket just in case. 

He picked up the box, and turned to leave. 

He was eager to see her again, but also inexplicably nervous he realized, as his stomach started doing a complicated series of flips that left him slightly nauseous.   
He took a deep breath and made a conscious effort to ignore the jitters.   
He didn’t like this feeling one bit. What was there to be nervous about?   
He was just doing a nice thing for a…girl…friend?   
A friendly type girl…  
‘A sweet, gorgeous, funny, smart and interesting girl, who you desperately want to impress,’ his inner voice helpfully pointed out.   
“Shut up!” he mumbled, hefting the box under one arm as he moved decisively towards the front door. 

He was a grown man for crying out loud. Not a sweaty-palmed teenager picking up his date from her parents’ house! 

Can closed the front door firmly and marched towards the cottage, feeling a little like he was headed into battle.

The thought made him frown for a second. Then he chuckled as he realized he might very well be. Sanem had a tendency to respond in ways he couldn’t predict. He never seemed to completely understand the workings of her mind, and right now he had no idea how she would react to his surprise dinner date. 

But for some reason the uncertainty wasn’t annoying or off-putting. It was surprisingly …appealing. 

Lights had been turned on in the living room of the cottage, he noticed, but the kitchen looked dark. Hopefully that meant she hadn’t started dinner yet. 

Can smiled expectantly as he shifted the box to his other arm, and knocked on the front door of the cottage.   
There was a flicker of movement through the living room window, and then he could hear her fiddling with the front door lock.  
‘I should probably have a look at that lock,’ he thought to himself. ‘It seems to be giving her problems.’

But the thought flew right out of his head as the door opened and she was in front him. 

She was backlit by the lights from the living room, and he couldn’t see her face clearly.  
“Can?” she said. Her voice sounded husky like she’d just woken up, but she didn’t seem displeased to see him, he noted. 

“Hi,” he said, once more feeling like he was about to jump off a cliff with no rope.   
“I-I thought I’d surprise you?” he said, indicating the box under his arm. 

Sanem’s gaze landed on the box but its meaning clearly didn’t compute. 

“What’s this?” she said. “What surprise?”  
“Can I come in?” he asked, starting to feel like he was losing control of the situation. 

She hesitated for a split-second.

“Sure,” she said stepping back to let him pass.  
“So, what’s the surprise?” she asked as she closed the door behind him.  
“I’m here to cook you dinner,” he said with a smile, holding out the box for her to see the contents. 

She didn’t reply at first. Her eyes held his for a long moment. Then she frowned and glanced at the box. 

He felt his smile falter and suddenly it was like his heart was stuck in his throat as it occurred to him that she might decline and send him home. 

Sanem bit her lip as she took her time studying the contents of the box. 

‘She’s going to say no,’ he thought, his mood quickly dropping.   
‘I’m being too pushy. This was too soon. It’ll send her running. Again! This was a bad idea’

She still hadn’t said anything as she lifted her head to look at him.

Can felt a rivulet of sweat trickle down his spine. 

That was it. She was going to shoot him down. 

Then she smiled.  
“What are we having?” she asked. 

***  
The kitchen was warm and cozy, and as darkness settled outside it felt like they were in a cocoon of their own, safe from the rest of the world. 

Can was busy chopping, sautéing and stirring, determined that his favorite pasta dish should turn out perfectly. He was a good cook, but tonight he wanted it to be perfect. He wanted to wow her.   
The sauce was coming together nicely and the kitchen was starting to smell divine. 

Sanem had offered to help but so far he’d only allowed her to set a table for them in the living room and to pour them both a glass of the wine he’d brought. 

She was leaning on the counter a few feet away, sipping from her glass of wine, watching him move around her kitchen as he prepared their meal.

Whenever he looked up she’d smile at him, making his chest squeeze in a funny way. 

It didn’t help either that she’d changed her clothes since their trip to town. Her choice of comfy-wear this evening was giving him hot flashes – if that was even possible for a man.   
Can shuddered as he watched her walk to the fridge to get a bottle of water.   
She was wearing a pair of curve-hugging, black, stretchy, yoga pants that should be illegal, he thought. On top of that her loose-fitting pale pink top kept sliding off one shoulder, revealing a thin black spaghetti strap that he assumed was attached to some sort of yoga top. Her hair was tied in a ponytail with a few loose tendrils framing her face. 

She looked adorable and sexy at the same time and every time he caught a glimpse of her walking across the room, he had a hard time concentrating on his cooking.

He reached out to take a sip of his own glass, still stirring with the other hand. 

“Mmm…it smells really good,” she said, her voice coming from right behind him.  
He hadn’t noticed that she’d drifted closer, but now she leaned past him to get a whiff of the mouthwatering aromas rising from the pan he was stirring.   
Her bare shoulder brushed his arm, and he held his breath as she leaned closer still.   
“What kind of sauce is this?” she said, turning her face up to look at him.   
He hadn’t realized that he’d been leaning closer as well, as she studied his handiwork, but when she looked up their faces were close enough that he could feel her startled breath wash over his lips, and his nose rubbed briefly against hers.   
Her eyes widened, and he watched as her gaze slipped to his lips and back up to his eyes. She licked her lips nervously, and took a quick step back.   
“Sorry,” she said in that husky voice. “I didn’t mean to crowd you like that.”  
“No problem,” Can said turning his head to hide his smile.   
“Do you want a taste?”  
She blushed a little, but she leaned closer and opened her lips to the spoon her held out for her.  
“Just blow on it a little first,” he mumbled. “It’s hot.”  
She rested a hand on his arm for balance and looked up at him. Then she puckered her lips and blew softly on the spoon.   
Can suddenly had trouble breathing and his eyes seemed to be glued to those lips. He watched in fascination as she slowly opened her mouth and let him feed her a taste of the sauce.   
A small drop of sauce stuck to the corner of her mouth and he had to fight a sudden urge to lick it away. In stead he reached up a finger, and slowly wiped it away. He lifted the finger to his own mouth and licked it clean.   
Her eyes followed his movement and lingered on his lips.   
She swallowed hard.  
“It’s really good,” she croaked taking a step back and releasing his arm. 

He stared at her for a beat, trying to remember what he was supposed to be doing.

“Right,” he said, as the fog clouding his brain, slowly lifted.   
“I think it’s ready.”

He reached out for the dinner plates she’d gotten ready for them and started loading them with pasta and sauce.  
“Will you grab the wine?” he asked, over his shoulder, as he sprinkled chopped parsley over the heaped plates.   
“Sure,” she said, picking up the bottle and her own glass. 

Can had to suppress a groan as he watched her lead the way.   
Whoever invented those yoga pants had a seriously sadistic streak he decided. The way that black stretchy material molded itself to her body and displayed every dip and curve was making it very hard for him to walk and breathe at the same time. 

He squeezed his eyes shot and took a deep breath. 

Then he followed her into the room.

She’d pushed the low coffee table out a little and arranged pillows on the floor for them to sit on, and now she gracefully folded her legs under her as she sank down on her pillow and leaned her elbows on the table in front of her. 

Candles had been lit around the room he noticed, giving the small living room a warm glow. It occurred to him that he hadn’t even asked if he’d interrupted something when he came barging in with his dinner plans. He’d been too focused on getting her to agree. 

“This is nice,” he said, looking around the room, as he placed their plates in front of them. He sank down on the pillow next to hers and leaned back against the couch.   
“Nice,” she agreed a reached for her wine glass.  
He topped off both their glasses and watched her gulp down a mouthful.  
“Easy there,” he laughed. “It’ll go to your head if you drink it too fast.”  
“I’m actually not used to drinking,” she confessed a little sheepishly.   
“I get dizzy from just one beer, so I usually stick with soda.”  
“Well, you should take it easy with the wine then,” he chuckled.   
She smiled back and shrugged.   
“You make me a little nervous, so I think I need it tonight,” she said.  
“I make you nervous?” he said, pleased but surprised that she was suddenly so open about how she felt.   
“Yeah,” she said, turning away to tuck into her food.   
“I’m not sure why, but whenever I’m around you, I feel…strange,” she said, popping a heaping spoonful of pasta and sauce into her mouth.  
“Mmmm…this is so good,” she moaned, and licked a little sauce off her fork.

Can stared at her helplessly, feeling irrationally jealous of that fork. 

Sanem continued to eat the food he’d prepared with obvious pleasure, and Can was completely caught up in watching her eat. He mechanically picked up his own fork and started twirling pasta around it, but it never made it to his mouth.

Then he remembered what she’d been saying. 

“You feel strange…in a good way? Or not so good?” he probed carefully. 

Sanem took another sip of wine, frowning while she thought of her answer.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “I feel things when I’m around you that I’m not used to,” she elaborated unselfconsciously.   
“I feel excited and full of this strange jittery energy. I want to be around you but at the same time it scares me a little because I feel like I kind of lose myself a little…or become a different version of myself or something.” 

She paused and took another sip of wine. 

“It’s hard to explain,” she said with slightly exaggerated concentration. 

“I want to talk to you and get to know you, but I also want to touch you…and then I get all confused and embarrassed,” she shrugged and picked up her fork again.

Can had put down his fork, giving up all pretense of eating.   
He couldn’t take his eyes off her.   
She was absolutely breathtaking and her wine-fueled confessions were both cute and exactly what he would have hoped to hear. 

It occurred to him that he should probably feel guilty for not stopping her chatter. It was obvious that the alcohol was having an effect on her, and he was pretty sure she’d never had told him these things if she hadn’t had wine. 

‘But it’s not like I’m going to tell anyone else,’ he thought to himself. ‘And yeah, so she may be a little…liberated by the alcohol, but she wouldn’t be saying it if she didn’t mean it. Right?’  
‘Nice try, Romeo,’ his inner voice butted in. ‘Not a very gentlemanly move.’

“Uhm…Sanem,” he said hesitantly, as she reached for her glass again. “Maybe you should eat some more food before you have any more wine?”   
“I feel fine,” she assured him seriously, setting the glass back down a little too forcefully, making the wine slosh around. A few drops of red liquid splattered onto the table.  
“Ooookay,” Can said reaching for her glass to move it out of reach.   
“I think it might have been a mistake to give you wine on an empty stomach,” he said with a smile as she protested.  
“Eat!” he ordered. “I’ll go and make some coffee, so we can sober you up a bit.” 

He leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before getting to his feet, taking the bottle of wine with him as he went.

He couldn’t help grinning to himself as he started the coffee percolating. He put the wine bottle on a top shelf where she wouldn’t be able to reach it in her current state, and leaned on the counter waiting for the coffee to finish.  
He’d hoped that dinner and wine would loosen her up a bit, but it seemed his plan had worked a little too well.   
Can shook his head and chuckled.   
She’d hate him for this in the morning…that is if she even remembered.   
The coffee machine gurgled and hissed as it finished, and Can quickly filled two mugs. After a brief hesitation he decided to leave both black. She needed a serious dose of caffeine right now, he figured. 

As he made it back to the table he noticed with satisfaction that Sanem had worked her way through at least half the food on her plate.   
However, she’d also managed to finish his glass of wine that he’d carelessly left behind.   
Can groaned and put the coffees on the table. 

He sat back down next to her, and lifted his empty wine glass up for her to see.   
She just giggled.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, starting to worry about the effect it was having on her.  
“Fine,” she slurred. “I feel fine.” 

Can scooted a little closer to her, putting his arm around her shoulder.   
“Come on, Sanem,” he said, putting the coffee mug into her hands. “Drink this. You’ll feel better.” 

She giggled again, but she obediently started sipping the coffee. 

“You know,” she said in a wooly voice, “I was just telling Zoe that I didn’t want to start anything with you, but then you show up at my door and all I want is to curl up with you like this. What is that about?” She closed her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder. 

Can felt a strange moment of panic mixed with relief that she hadn’t actually turned him away. Not yet anyway. 

“Zoe?” he said. “That’s the friend you mentioned, right? The one who might come for a visit?”  
“Mmmm…” she mumbled.  
“Why did you tell her you didn’t want to start anything with me?” he asked, holding his breath as he waited for her answer.

For a moment he thought she might have fallen asleep, but then she shifted, turning her face into his chest. 

“You’ll leave,” she murmured. “You’ll go and report on something somewhere and forget about me.”

He looked down at the head of silky brown hair nestled against him. He lifted a hand and slowly ran it through her ponytail. 

“Sanem,” he said. “If that’s what’s troubling you, you should know that I’m not going to be doing the freelancing thing anymore.” 

He sighed and leaned his head back against the couch staring up at the ceiling. 

“I’m not sure yet what I’ll do from here on, but I’ve already decided to drop the freelancing and settle down. You know, be closer to my family?” 

She didn’t reply, and he looked down, shifting to see her face.   
Her eyes were closed and her breathing had turned deep and regular.   
Can smiled and shook his head.

“Ah, Sanem!” he mumbled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.  
He sat there for a while, content to watch her sleep.   
Then he carefully picked her up, and carried her to bed.


	20. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanem wakes up the day after with no recollection of how she got to bed the night before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've been finding it hard to squeeze in writing this week and now I'm out of time. So this chapter is being published as a big un-edited mess. Sorry for that, but it's time to close down for the holidays.
> 
> happy holidays!

The first rays of sunlight tickled her eyelids, slowly dragging her out of sleep and pulling her away from a strange dream. She rolled onto her back, keeping her eyes closed for a moment, trying to figure out why something felt off.  
The sunlight.   
She frowned and finally opened her eyes. The sunlight was hitting her eyes. How was that possible? She was always careful to pull the blinds on her east-facing bedroom window, so that the she wouldn’t wake up at the crack of dawn.  
It seemed she’d forgotten to do that last night.  
Strange.  
Sanem yawned and stretched her arms over her head.  
“Huh”, she mumbled, realizing that she was still wearing the top she’d put on yesterday when she’d gotten back from her trip into town with Can.  
Can!  
The thought of him was like a bell ringing loud and clear through her sleep addled brained. She sat up with a gasp, suddenly wide awake.  
There was something about him she should remember, she thought. Something was tickling her brain, but she couldn’t quite pin it down.  
Sanem frowned.   
Then it came to her.   
It was her dream.   
She had been dreaming about him, and it had been so vivid and felt so real, it was like it had actually happened.   
Sanem shook her head, chuckling at her own confusion.   
She really wasn’t at her best first thing in the morning.   
Coffee! Coffee would help she decided and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, routinely feeling for her fuzzy slippers with her bare feet.  
Except her feet weren’t bare. She was still wearing socks, she realized.  
And her slippers weren’t there.   
Sanem looked around but they weren’t anywhere in sight.   
‘Odd,’ she thought.  
She threw back the covers and started to get up but froze when she realized that she was still wearing yesterday’s pants too.   
“What on earth…” she mumbled, feeling more and more disoriented.  
Frowning, she picked at the stretchy fabric of her pants, trying to remember how she got to bed last night.   
Her head was feeling kind of fuzzy she realized.   
Maybe she was coming down with something?  
That would explain why she’d been too tired to go through her usual pre-bedtime routine, she figured. She tried swallowing a few times but her throat felt fine. She felt her forehead for a second, but she didn’t feel hot either. No, she felt perfectly fine otherwise.   
With a shrug she stood up and went in search of coffee.  
Her stockinged feet made no noise as she padded down the hall to the kitchen. She went straight to the cupboard where she kept the coffee grounds and started measuring out a generous amount.   
She was going to need it strong today, she decided.  
She started the machine and went to brush her teeth and splash some water on her face, while the coffee percolated.   
Sanem was just coming back out from the bathroom when she heard the coffee maker gurgling as it finished doing its job.   
Perfect! A cup of strong black coffee and maybe some fresh air on the porch should take care of the rest of the cobwebs in her head.  
She hurried down the hall, aiming straight for her caffeine fix with the single-minded precision of a heat-seeking missile.   
“Coffee smells good,” a deep, sleep-husky voice said from behind her, just as she reached out for the row of mugs on the shelf above the coffeemaker.  
Sanem shrieked and spun around, suddenly more awake than any amount of coffee could have managed to make her.  
Can was leaning against the doorjamb, looking indecently good for this early in the morning she noted. His hair was loose and a bit rumbled like he’d just rolled out of bed. His t-shirt was wrinkled, like he’d slept in it, and his jeans…Sanem felt her mouth go dry as she took in the jeans riding low on his hips, only partially zipped up. It looked like he’d just pulled them on in a hurry and hadn’t bothered finishing the job. Through the gap in the waistband a tantalizing triangle of golden skin was visible. The triangle became a wide strip of ripped abs as he stretched and yawned, causing the t-shirt to ride up and the taut muscles to ripple.   
Sanem was vaguely aware that she was staring at his mid-section, unable to make sense of anything.  
Can sauntered into the kitchen, stepping so close to her, she could feel the heat from his body envelop her. He reached over her shoulder and pulled two mugs off the shelf.   
Sanem could only stare at him. She felt like her synapses were firing away but nothing was connecting as it should.   
Can looked down at her, a small, amused, smile playing around his lips.   
He reached up and tucked at her chin playfully. Then he grabbed the carafe from behind her and started pouring coffee.   
Sanem realized that her mouth was hanging open and that she was seriously behind on asking the thousand or so questions floating around in her brain.   
“Coffee?” Can held out a mug to her.   
She took it, mainly because she really did need it, but she managed to glower at him while she did.   
He was still towering over her, making her brain go all fuzzy, so she pushed against his chest intending to move around him.   
But instead of stepping back he simply placed his own hand over hers, giving it a small squeeze.   
His touch seemed to work like some kind of catalyst because the moment his hand landed on hers, flashes of memories from last night started firing in her brain.   
Her head snapped up and her she felt her eyes go wide as images of what she’d assumed was a dream started going through her head like a slide show.   
Sanem felt like pinching herself just to make sure she wasn’t still in some surreal dream world.   
She needed answers, she decided, and Can was presenting a very large, very convenient target for all her questions.   
“Can…” she croaked, intending to launch into a full-blown interrogation, but then she looked up into a pair of warm brown eyes, full of laughter, and her brains instantly scrambled again.  
“Why are you…? Where did you…what are you doing here?” she finally managed to say.  
“And good morning to you too,” he replied with a crooked smile.   
“Morning…” she mumbled weakly, still staring at him warily, expecting him to disappear any moment.  
“I just didn’t want to leave you alone last night. You know, in your condition…” he explained between sips of coffee.  
“So, after I put you to bed, I crashed on your couch.” He shrugged and leaned on the counter next to her, his hip brushing hers, sending small shockwaves through her already jittery body.  
Sanem tried to make sense of that statement, but his proximity seemed to be robbing her of what little functioning brainpower she had this morning.   
She started sorting through the glimpses she remembered from last night.   
Dinner. He’d cooked her dinner.   
She remembered sitting in the living room, twirling pasta.  
There were snatches of conversation too. Weird conversation.   
Then his words registered and she turned to face him.  
“Wait, what do you mean ‘my condition’?” she asked suspiciously.  
“You don’t remember?” he asked in a deceptively innocent voice.   
Sanem folded her arms across her chest and glared at him.   
“Explain please,” she said pointedly.  
“Well, there’s not much to tell really,” he said.  
“You just had a little too much wine and fell asleep.”   
She studied him through narrowed eyes, trying to pick up on the things he obviously wasn’t saying.   
He was fighting a grin, but quickly took another sip of coffee.   
“I just fell asleep?” she asked skeptically.  
“Uh-huh,” he nodded, looking into his mug.  
“And you put me to bed?”   
“Yeah, I figured you’d be more comfortable there than on my chest,” he said with wicked grin.  
Sanem gasped and felt heat rush into her cheeks.   
“I got drunk and fell asleep on you?” she asked faintly.  
“I wouldn’t say drunk, so much as tipsy and talkative,” he said with a wink. “You were cute.”   
“It was no big deal,” he said in a more serious tone. “In fact, it was kind of my own fault for plying you with wine before feeding you, so really, don’t worry about it. Next time I’ll make sure you eat first.”  
Sanem’s head was spinning. She couldn’t decide whether she was more embarrassed by her own lack of control in front of him or annoyed that she couldn’t remember more about what actually happened last night.  
“But…I didn’t do anything…bad?” she asked tentatively.  
“Bad? No of course not,” he said easily.   
She absolutely didn’t trust his innocent face, she decided, but there wasn’t a lot she could do about it, and she wasn’t entirely sure she really wanted to know any more details. Perhaps ignorance was bliss in this case.   
Sanem nodded to herself.  
Yeah, it would definitely be better to let it lie.   
“Well, thank you then,” she said. “For taking care of me, I mean.”  
He just smiled at her.  
“And for cooking dinner,” she added.   
“It was my pleasure,” he mumbled, hiding another smile with a sip of coffee.  
Sanem frowned and lifted her own mug, silently contemplating the implications of his casual mention of a ‘next time’. 

***

As it turned out, ‘next time’ meant exactly that.   
Can obviously didn’t want to chance her having second thoughts about their relationship-status, so while she was still reeling from the alcoholic demise of their first dinner date, he was already planning the next.   
And Sanem soon discovered that while Can was respecting her need to take things slow, and for them to get to know each other better before taking their relationship any further, ‘getting to know each other’ wasn’t exactly a slow, gradual process in Can’s world.   
For one thing, he seemed to take it for granted that they were now dating.   
Sanem tried arguing that the term was kind of absurd in their case. After all, they were all alone out here, and were bound to meet and do things together all the time. But for some reason Can insisted on arranging ‘dates’ for them.   
And privately, she had to admit it was kind of cute and made her feel all warm and fuzzy.   
But he also seemed intent on learning every little detail about her and her life in as little time as possible, and he wasn’t shy about letting her know his agenda either.  
Half the time she wanted to yell at him to slow down and let her get there in her own time, but his genuine curiosity and his open adoration were hard to resist.   
He was infuriating and irresistible and seemingly unstoppable, and Sanem regularly found herself somewhere between laughter and outrage at his bulldozing methods.   
Can wasn’t exactly pressuring her about their relationship, but he wasn’t hiding his own interest. She’d caught him looking at her in a speculative way from time to time, and she got the impression he was expecting her to make some sort of declaration soon.  
In the meantime, it seemed to Sanem that they were doing as many things together as Can could possibly think of, and even a few that she was pretty sure he just made up on the go. He kept coming up with things to show her or places to take her, which she probably should consider turning down once in a while, she thought reluctantly.   
But she never did.   
After all, she had promised herself to make the most of her island experience, right? So that’s what she was going to do!   
‘And you can keep telling yourself that’s the reason,’ the voice in the back of her head told her drily, ‘but if you’re being honest with yourself, you know it has little to do with curiosity about your temporary home and everything to do with wanting to spend time with that sexy next door neighbor of yours’.   
Sanem studiously ignored that of course.  
A couple of times she did try to wriggle out of seeing him, whenever she felt desperate for a little alone time to think and process.   
But Can wasn’t easy to turn down.   
Of course, part of the problem was that she really didn’t want to say no, she silently acknowledged. As infuriating and exasperating as she found him from time to time, he was also incredibly sweet, funny and interesting. And just being around him was overwhelming to her senses. She seemed to crave his company in a way she’d never experienced before.   
In fact, when he wasn’t coming up with stuff for them to do, she seemed to keep finding reasons to go and ask him for advice.   
She wasn’t precisely making up excuses to go and see him, but he was her landlord, so any questions and problems she might have, she should take up with him, right?   
At least that’s what she told herself, when she went to ask him to recommend hiking trails or the best place to go for coffee.   
‘So, the fact that you’ve never gone hiking before or that you’ve already been to the only coffee place in town has just conveniently slipped your mind?’ that annoying inner voice piped up.   
But she ignored that too.   
It wasn’t her fault that those requests always led to him deciding to show her the trails and to take her to revisit the town coffee spot, was it?   
And when she went to ask him about the trick to get the stubborn bathroom window to close properly, for example? She couldn’t have known that he’d decide it would be better if he simply came back to the cottage with her to fix the window for good.   
And it was only good manners to offer him coffee for his trouble.   
It hadn’t been her intention to keep him chatting for hours, while the two of them snuggled up in the hammock hung at one end of her front porch.   
No, those things just sort of happened.  
Her inner voice didn’t even bother commenting on her reasoning at this point.  
Another thing that had her off balance most of the time was how physical he was. He seemed to be always touching her. It was mostly little things, like tugging a lock of hair behind her ear, a guiding hand to the small of her back, a hug for no reason, holding her hand when they walked, a quick peck on the cheek when he said good night.   
It was all very casual and sweet, but she found herself holding her breath, waiting for his next touch.   
She was extremely aware of him at all times and painfully conscious that she really wanted to touch him too, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do that in the easy manner he did. It seemed so natural for him, but she’d never had the kind of relationship that involved physical contact.   
And even if she had, she was pretty sure nothing could have prepared her for the way Can’s touch made her feel.   
Even the smallest touch seemed to hold an electric charge, sending shivers down her spine and tingles running over her skin. When he ran his fingertips over her face or up her arm, she felt hot. When his lips dragged lightly across her cheek, she felt her stomach tighten. When his fingers caught in her hair and pulled a little, she felt her whole body clench in response.   
It was overwhelming and he had her so on edge, she felt like she must be giving off enough energy to cause a small power-outage or disturb radio frequencies.   
So, she tried to keep a distance.   
But it was so hard, when his touch made her come alive the way it did.   
Besides, she was quickly learning that he didn’t even need to touch her for the air to become charged, for the small hairs on the back of her neck to stand to attention, or for her breath to become erratic.   
Even when there was no actual physical contact, his presence had a powerful effect.   
He had apparently abandoned any need for personal space around her and had a tendency to crowd her whenever they were together, and it was making her head spin.   
Sometimes she wondered if he knew the effect he was having on her.   
If he did it on purpose.   
But then he’d turn around and smile at her, and she’d forget.  
The days passed in a blur of activity, interspersed with heated arguments when he pushed too far, too fast, and peaceful moments, where time seemed to stand still, and there was no need for talking.  
They both had work to do, and by silent agreement, they had fallen into a rhythm of working in the mornings and spending most afternoons and evenings together, except when Can had to take off on the guided tours he was doing for Jake.   
The only cloud on the horizon, as far as Sanem was concerned, was the frequent calls from Can’s editor, Denise. Those calls always left him brooding and quiet.   
Sanem had learned not to ask questions about them, but she silently wondered about the reason for his bad moods.   
She didn’t know what the conversations with his editor were about exactly, but she’d heard enough to suspect that Denise was pushing for him to go on another assignment, and that he for some reason was reluctant to do it.   
She was glad that he hadn’t accepted, but since Denise kept calling she assumed he hadn’t turned her down completely either. Not knowing what was going on in his head was driving her a little crazy and kept her anxiously waiting for the other shoe to drop.   
Sometimes, late at night, when she was alone in bed, she let herself wonder if his reluctance to make a decision about the assignment might possibly be influenced by his feelings for her.   
But she always shut down that line of thought.   
She’d promised herself not to overthink this, so for now, she was determined to do what she told Zoe she would do.   
She was going to see where this relationship could go.   
She wasn’t going to run.   
She just hoped Can wasn’t running either… 

***

Sanem saved the changes to the notes she’d been working on and closed the file. She rubbed the tense muscles in her shoulders, and leaned back in her chair, staring unseeingly out over the bay.  
She had been working steadily for the past three days while Can had been away on a hiking trip with the latest group of tourists.  
She’d made quite a dent in the pile of work the professor had sent her, but she’d been feeling strangely on edge ever since Can had left for the mountain camp. More so than the last time.   
Her thoughts kept circling back to him, wondering what he might be doing, when he would get back, whether or not he was thinking of her.   
Which was completely silly, she told herself.  
“Come on, Sanem,” she mumbled to her own blurry reflection in the window. “You’re an independent, capable, woman with a life of your own. You don’t need to be with him all the time.”  
She snapped her laptop shut and sighed.   
“Besides, it’s good that he has to take off every now and then,” she continued, as if saying it out loud made it more true.   
“He’s a distraction and so demanding, and I really need to get some work done.”   
But she’d still kept a running countdown in her head of the days, hours and minutes till he was due back.   
Tomorrow.  
She’d see him again tomorrow. His group was supposed to get back down to the campground later today and was booked on the ferry to the mainland tomorrow morning.   
He’d take them to the ferry and then he’d come home.  
‘Home’.   
The word made her frown. When had she started thinking of this place as home?   
With an irritated shake of the head, she pushed back her chair and got up.   
She needed air, she decided.   
Ten minutes later she was skipping down the stairs to the beach, lifting her face to feel the sun and the wind on her skin, and taking deep breaths of the salty air.   
It was a nice, sunny day and Sanem soon felt the calming effect of the ocean as she walked along the water’s edge, watching the sun glint off the small waves and picking up pieces of colorful sea glass, pretty stones and delicate shells.  
During the weeks she’d spent on the island, spring had slowly turned into early summer and the sharp chill that had been in the air was now only noticeable in the early morning of late afternoon. On sunny days like today the air felt balmy and she was tempted to slip off her shoes and dip her toes. But she’d learned her lesson the previous week.   
She’d been on the beach with Can and had been getting hot from the sun - and possibly also from Can’s attention. So, she’d suggested they cool off by walking barefoot in the wet sand where the waves washed up. Can had warned her that the water would be glacial, but she hadn’t believed him, and had teased him for wimping out. Resolutely, she’d stripped off her shoes and socks and boldly waded a few steps into the water, only to discover that in spite of the warmer air, the water was every bit as icy cold as the day she’d tumbled into the tide pool. Can had laughed and told her to get out, which of course had only made her stubbornly insist on staying in.  
Within minutes her feet had gone numb, and she’d wobbled back up on dry sand.   
Can hadn’t bothered with an ‘I-told-you-so’. He’d simply picked her up, slung her over his shoulder fireman style, and carried her back up the steps to the house, claiming that he was saving her from herself and from getting her frozen feet cut up by rocks and shells.   
Sanem giggled at the memory.   
She probably should have protested more than she had, but she had to admit his moments of caveman behavior were kind of…hot.   
She blushed and quickly bent to look at another little shell peeking out from under a piece of driftwood.   
Half an hour later and with a pocket full of sea glass and shells, she turned back.   
She trudged up the steps from the beach, her steps slowing down as she got nearer the top. One more evening alone was actually a good thing, she tried telling herself. It meant she could get some more writing done.   
But she couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her.   
She routinely glanced over at the main house as she reached the top. His car was nowhere in sight and the place looked empty. She felt a slight pang of disappointment, even though she hadn’t expected to see signs of life.   
With a resigned shrug she headed to the cottage, thinking about the work still waiting on the kitchen table.  
She was looking at the ground, kicking at a small rock as she went along.  
“Something about that rock bother you?” a deep, husky, voice asked.

***  
His tall, muscular, frame was leaning on the railing of her front porch. He was wearing faded jeans, a soft, blue, t-shirt and a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses. His hair was tied back in its usual, slightly messy half-bun and gleamed mahogany in the sunlight. He looked relaxed and heart stoppingly gorgeous, she thought.  
He pushed off the railing and smiled at her.  
Sanem felt an answering grin spread on her face and without thinking she ran straight into his arms.   
It felt like the world settled back into place as his arms enveloped her in a tight hug, and she buried her face in his neck, breathing him in as she hugged him back without reservation.  
For a long moment neither of them spoke.   
They just stood there, holding on to each other.  
Can’s hand was stroking her hair, tracing down her spine, while his other arm held her so tight, she couldn’t even lift her head to look at his face. She could feel his heart beating fast under her cheek, where it pressed against his chest. She turned her face into his body and inhaled his scent as if trying to imprint it on her brain. He smelled clean, like he’d just showered. The fresh scent of pine, citrus and subtle woodsy notes mingled with something that was all Can. She took another deep breath and felt her fingers dig into the tight muscles of his back as she tried to pull herself even closer.   
“Miss me?” his deep voice rumbled through his chest.   
Sanem smiled happily, knowing that he couldn’t see her face.   
“Nah,” she mumbled, rubbing her cheek against the fabric of his t-shirt.   
“I hardly noticed you were gone,” she said breezily.   
She could feel his body shake with laughter.   
Then his hands closed around her arms, and he bent down to look at her face.  
“Oh, really?” he said, pushing his sunglasses up on his forehead, a mock-serious look on his face.   
“Yeah, I haven’t really been paying attention to the days. You know…I’ve been busy. Work, writing…coffee with Jake,” she said as blasé as she could manage.  
His response was an immediate, rumbling growl that she could feel vibrating through his chest.  
“Coffee with Jake?” he asked in a velvety voice.  
“Yeah, he took pity on me yesterday,” she said.   
“You know, for being all alone out here? So he suggested we meet for coffee.” She gave him a wide-eyed smile.   
“Gee was there too of course,” she tagged on at the end, deciding she’d played close enough to the fire.   
His brow relaxed a bit and his hands resumed playing with her hair.  
“Are you trying to make me jealous, Sanem?” he asked tugging gently at a lock of her hair. But before she could answer he leaned down, his lips brushing lightly against her ear.   
“Because it’s working,” he whispered.  
Sanem felt a delicious shiver down her spine.  
“Don’t be silly,” she laughed. “Jake’s harmless.”   
“Oh, I can assure you he’s anything but,” Can said emphatically. “I love him like a brother, but when it comes to women he’s like a kid in a candy-store…and has the attention span of a five-year old to go with it!” Can scoffed.  
“But for some reason women seem to find him irresistible.” He shook his head in wonder.  
“He’s a sweetheart,” Sanem insisted.   
“But that’s beside the point. I have absolutely no romantic interest in Jake.”  
He pulled her in for another hug and mumbled something into her hair.   
It sounded a bit like ‘It’s not you I’m worried about’.   
But she was too distracted by the slow realization that she’d just been tripped up by her own emotional overload.   
She was a little shocked at her own reaction to seeing him.   
She’d felt indescribably happy when she saw him there, waiting for her, and she’d responded instinctively. She was more than a little rattled at how much of a relief it was to have him back. Like a hole in her chest that she hadn’t even been aware of had filled out again, and she could breathe better.   
Sanem was so lost in detangling her inner emotional yarn-ball, she hardly noticed when he ran his hands down her arms and took her hands in his.  
“Sanem…” he whispered into her hair.   
“Mmm?” she mumbled absentmindedly.  
He tugged on her chin to get her attention, not satisfied till she met his gaze.  
His eyes were hot and heavy-lidded, a lazy smile playing around his lips. His fingers had somehow found their way up to the nape of her neck and were pushing into her hair, rubbing small circles and gently pulling her closer to him.  
Sanem swayed into him, feeling her own eyes go heavy in response. Her breathing hitched as he bent his head, his lips just out of reach. She licked her bottom lip, watching as he seemed to move closer in slow-motion, gauging her reaction.  
Then something snapped inside her, and she simply lifted up on her toes and closed the distance herself.   
His warm lips seemed to shape themselves perfectly to hers, letting her take control, following her lead as she nibbled on his bottom lip. She licked into his mouth as he slowly opened for her, and couldn’t help the small moan that escaped her when he finally tightened his arm around her and deepened the kiss.   
The sound of Can’s phone ringing broke through the hot, needy haze she was in.  
A small sigh of disappointment escaped her, as they pulled apart. Can was staring down at her, breathing hard and mumbling something unintelligible as he shook his head slightly.   
She was distantly aware that she was still leaning on his chest, the fingers of one hands still tangled in his hair, as she watched him answer the phone.  
“Jake?” she heard him say.  
The she watched as his face hardened, and she could almost feel an icy shell forming around him.   
“She what?” he said through clenched teeth. He stepped away from her and ran a hand over his head, clasping the back of his neck as he listened.  
“Thanks for warning me, man,” he finally said and disconnected.  
He stared out over the bay for a moment. Then he turned his head to look at her.  
“Well, that’s going to be trouble,” he said calmly.   
“What’s going on Can?” she asked, as a clammy feeling spread from her belly. 

He stared at her for a second, his eyes going flat and almost black.  
“My editor has just booked a room at the Inn in town and she’s arriving on the ferry tomorrow.”


	21. Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can is spinning a little out of control partly because of his editor's unexpected visit, partly because he's been missing Sanem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So back from Christmas break and writing again. This chapter is a bit of a transition bit though - hope it's not too boring. Action will pick up in next chapter - promise! I just needed to set the stage for our couple before diving into the messy bits to come.

“Your editor is coming here?” Sanem asked with a frown.  
Can blew out an exasperated puff of air and slid the phone back into his pocket.   
“Yeah…” he said distractedly. His mind was doing cartwheels trying to figure out what was going on.  
“Is that…a bad thing?” she asked, biting her plump bottom lip.  
His eyes zeroed in on that lip for a moment. Then he looked into her eyes, debating how to answer her question.   
“Good question,” he mumbled to himself.   
“I’m not really sure,” he admitted, running a hand over his hair.   
She gave him a speculative glance but didn’t ask any more questions. 

This was just perfect!   
Way to ruin the party Denise, he thought grumpily. 

He’d rushed back from the mountain-camp to surprise Sanem. He honestly hadn’t been able to wait another day to see her, so he’d made Jake promise to escort the group from the main campground to the ferry tomorrow, just so he could come home a day early. 

He didn’t even want to think about the haggling he’d had to do with Jake to pull off that favor! But it didn’t matter what exorbitant price Jake had demanded in the shape of a return-favor. 

Sanem’s welcome had totally been worth it! 

Except now his obnoxious editor was threatening to ruin their reunion. 

Can ground his teeth in frustration.   
He just couldn’t believe that Denise would intrude on his personal life like this. She had never done anything like it before. There had to be something unusual in the works for her to go to these lengths. 

“I don’t know what the hell is going on,” he mumbled to himself. “But Denise has definitely taken things too far this time.”  
He didn’t understand why she was so insistent all of a sudden. What made this particular job so special?   
And for her to actually come to the island?   
She knew damn well that the island was his private place. It was where he went to regroup and spend his down time.   
Her coming here was crossing all sorts of lines. 

Can frowned and pulled at the beard on his chin, trying to work out the meaning behind it.

Yes, she’d been pestering him with phone calls over the past few weeks, and yes, he’d been getting the feeling that something bigger than usual was brewing but he’d been too preoccupied to really pay attention.   
‘Preoccupied?’ his inner voice scoffed. ‘You mean you’ve been acting like a lovesick puppy, completely ignoring reality!’   
“Not completely…” he ground out under his breath. 

He repeatedly kicked the toe of his boot into a small mound of dirt with tufts of dried grass growing on top. A clod of dirt went sailing through the air. It landed a few meters away with a dull thud, disintegrating on impact.   
He stared unseeingly at the small dust cloud that rose and then drifted away on the breeze.

Images of Sanem, smiling, laughing, arguing with him, flashed through his head. 

Yeah, okay, so maybe he had been a little distracted lately.   
But that was beside the point, he reminded himself.   
He was his own boss, and Denise may be his editor and de facto agent, but he always made the decisions himself. That was the whole point of him being freelance, he thought a little petulantly.   
He got to take or refuse whatever assignment he was offered.   
And so far, she’d always accepted his choice.   
They’d argued over assignments in the past but she’d never before pursued him with this kind of tenacity.

Can had wandered aimlessly while he tried to come up with an explanation for his editor’s visit. Now, he looked up, surprised to find himself close to the edge of the bluff. 

Below, the bay lay calmly glinting in the late afternoon sun.   
Nature at its best, he thought.   
Calm, serene.

Everything he was not right now...

Then he realized that Sanem was no longer beside him. 

He spun around and spotted her back at the cottage.   
She had retreated to her front porch while he’d been processing. She was sitting in the hammock, swaying softly back and forth, watching him silently.  
He felt instantly relieved to see her, but at a closer look he noticed that she had that telltale fidgety look about her. 

Can swore quietly. 

He knew that look. 

That was the look she got whenever she was about to make a run for it, this time no doubt with the noble intention of giving him his space. 

But that was just not an acceptable end to this evening, he decided, taking a deep breath to get rid of some of the angry tension that had taken hold.

A few long strides brought him within talking range. 

“You know what?” he called out to her as cheerfully as he could manage. “Let’s forget about my editor and everything else for tonight.” He quickly closed the remaining distance, almost running up the steps to the porch, until he was standing in front of her.  
She looked up at him but didn’t speak.   
He reached out to smooth a lock of hair away from her face, deliberately ignoring the apprehensive look she was giving him. 

“I came home early to spend the evening with you,” he said softly. “And I’m not letting anything interfere with that!” 

She chewed her lip thoughtfully. Her dark eyes full of questions that he was pretty sure he didn’t have the answers to. 

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” she asked quietly.   
“I mean if you need to deal with this, it’s fine.” She was pulling at the ends of her sleeves of her ice blue sweater, tugging them over her hands.

“I’m sure,” he said, reaching down to take both her hands in his.   
She didn’t pull away, but she still looked uncertain. 

When she was worried, like right now, a cute little wobbly dent appeared on her smooth forehead, right between her delicately arched eyebrows, making her look very young and innocent. 

Can felt a sudden, powerful, rush of protectiveness and instinctively wanted to bundle her up and hide her away from the world, to make sure nothing and no one could hurt her. 

‘Yeah, and that would go over so well with her,’ his inner voice commented drily.   
Can chuckled silently at the thought.   
He knew her well enough by now to know that she probably wouldn’t respond very well to any overbearing, alpha-male behavior on his part. 

Besides, she may look delicate, but he’d long since discovered that looks were deceiving where Sanem Aydin was concerned. 

Still, she looked very on edge, he noticed. 

And he had a pretty good idea what was going through that pretty head of hers right now too, he realized.

This was exactly the sort of situation she kept expecting, exactly why she hadn’t wanted to ‘start anything’ with him, as she’d put it. She’d never really believed that he could give up the freelance lifestyle, that he would want to settle down.

And Denise coming here probably seemed like confirmation of her worst fears to her. 

Can silently but thoroughly cursed his editor. 

Sanem was swaying softly in the hammock in front of him, looking a little lost, and he had to tamp down every instinct that screamed at him to find a dragon or two to slay on her behalf. 

‘One fire-breathing dragon coming right up!’ his inner voice said sarcastically, throwing him a mental image of Denise in full power-mode.

Can almost growled in annoyance, but he managed to lock up his inner caveman and settled for pulling her to her feet, bringing her close. 

The hammock swung wildly behind her, making squeaking noises from where it was tied to a pair of rusted iron hooks.

Sanem didn’t let go of his hands, but she was still looking way too uncomfortable.

“Please, spend the evening with me?” he wheedled, giving her his most charming smile.

Her beautiful face gradually relaxed in response, and her answering smile slowly chased the shadows of doubt out of her eyes.  
“If you’re sure?” she asked again, searching his face. 

He nodded.   
He was very sure. He may be feeling a little whip-lashed by the emotional rollercoaster the past half hour had sent him on but spending the evening with her was definitely going to make things okay in his book. 

In fact, on one level, he was already much better than just ‘okay’. 

He was feeling pretty ridiculously happy about the way she’d reacted to his early return, and he was more than a little eager to get back to where they’d left off before his phone interrupted them so rudely. 

There had been nothing shy or uncertain about her welcome-home kiss. 

His lips practically tingled at the thought of how she’d nibbled and licked, and the memory of the silky softness of her lips and tongue seemed to linger, making his stomach drop and his arms itch to hold her again. 

He reached up and briefly touched a finger to her lips, speculatively.   
Her eyes darkened at his touch. She licked her lips where his finger had touched, as if she too was thinking about that kiss. 

Then she blushed and looked away. 

With an impatient groan he pulled her into his arms. She came to him willingly, letting out a soft laugh as he hugged her tight.   
Her arms crept around his waist and he pushed his nose into her hair.   
“God, you smell so good,” he whispered, breathing in her amazing scent for a moment.   
And as always, her scent had a remarkable effect on him.   
Soothing, yet exciting.   
He should keep that scent bottled up and always carry it with him, he thought dimly. Then he smiled at his own thoughts and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.   
“Let’s make a deal,” he mumbled into her hair. “Tonight is going to be all about you and me. You’re not allowed to think of anything else. Agreed?”  
She giggled into his chest and nodded in agreement.

***  
“Could you pass me the chopped tomatoes, please?” he asked over his shoulder, as he kept stirring the sauce.

Sanem placed the heaping bowl of juicy, red, plum tomatoes in his outstretched hand. 

“Yes chef!” she said cheekily, before skipping out of reach to resume chopping the remaining vegetables lined up on the counter. 

Can grinned at her sassiness and poured the tomatoes into the saucepan.

She seemed to have fully recovered her good mood and had been joking and laughing as they worked together in her kitchen. Or, as she’d pointed out, as she performed her kitchen slave duties while he ordered her around.   
But she didn’t really seem to mind his playful bossiness, and her happy chatter and questions about his trip had chased away all lingering thoughts of his editor and what her arrival might mean. 

“I’ll be needing the wine next,” he ordered in a mock-bossy voice, sprinkling more dried herbs into the sauce.  
“Are you sure you trust me with the wine, chef?” she asked, nudging him with her hip as she passed behind him to fetch the bottle he’d opened earlier.  
“Good point,” he grinned and quickly reached around her to grab the bottle.   
She spun around, no doubt about to deliver a scathing comment on his trust issues or something like that, but the words died on her lips when she found herself pinned up against the counter, caged in by his arms.   
Can couldn’t help grinning down at her surprised face.   
He leaned down and planted a quick kiss on the tip of her nose, before leisurely turning back to the stove, the bottle of wine securely in hand.  
“No fair,” he thought he heard her mumble, and he chuckled to himself. 

He added a little of the wine, a bit of seasoning and gave the sauce a quick stir.  
“Are you about done with that?” she asked impatiently, leaning around him to peek at the bubbling meat sauce.  
“Hungry, are we?” he laughed.  
“’We’ certainly will be if we don’t get that thing in the oven soon,” she grumbled, as she watched him assemble the lasagna he’d decided to make for their dinner. 

Can sprinkled the last of the grated cheese over the top and deftly slid the finished dish into the oven and set the timer.

“There,” he said. “All done. Now how is that salad coming?”

Sanem stuck her tongue out at him and returned to her chopping board. 

He poured himself a glass of the wine and leaned on the counter watching her work. 

She quickly finished assembling the salad and set it aside. She deposited the big kitchen knife and her chopping board in the sink and wiped down the countertop. 

He was just about to swoop in for a hug, but she had already turned away and was getting out a wobbly looking wooden step stool from the corner.   
He watched curiously, as she placed the stool it in front of the tall cabinet next to the fridge and proceeded to climb up to reach something on the top shelf. 

Can had been meaning to ask what she was looking for, but he was momentarily distracted by the way her cropped sweater climbed up as she reached up to open the cupboard, revealing the satiny smooth skin of her lower back where it dipped in at her waist.   
He looked away briefly and tapped his forehead.   
‘Easy there, Divit,’ he mumbled to himself. 

He swallowed and looked back up.

“Sanem, why don’t you just ask me to get whatever it is you need,” he asked, shaking his head.   
“No need,” she huffed. “I’ve done this lots of times before. Besides, it’s good practice for when I don’t have an overgrown man around to do the fetching for me,” she added impishly, rummaging around in the cabinet.  
“I’m sure, but I’m here now so why don’t you take advantage of me?” he said with a wink that was completely lost on her back. 

She didn’t bother replying, as she pulled out a heavy-looking ceramic bowl, balancing it in one hand while closing the cabinet with the other.

As she struggled with the heavy bowl, she shifted her weight on the stool, eliciting loud groaning noises from the old wood.

“You know, that stool really doesn’t look sa…” he began to say, but he didn’t get any further before a splintering noise interrupted him. 

After that everything happened in a flash.

The stool suddenly wobbled wildly, as one leg seemed to do a jig all on its own, before simply collapsing. 

Sanem shrieked. The stool disappeared from under her, and she and the heavy bowl went flying in opposite directions.

But Can was already moving. 

As she tumbled backwards off the disintegrating stool, he caught her up in his arms, ignoring the crashing sound when the heavy bowl hit the floor and neatly broke in half. 

Sanem had instinctively caught one arm around his shoulder, to save herself from falling, and he found himself holding her tightly, staring into her panicky eyes, his heart going a hundred miles an hour. 

***

Her face was just inches from his, her eyes wide in shock and her lips slightly parted. For a moment he just stood there, cradling her in his arms, catching his breath.  
“Thanks…” she mumbled still staring into his eyes. She made no move to get down.  
“No problem,” he said conversationally, leaning back against the counter, holding her a little closer.  
“You…uhm…you can put me down now?” she said in a breathless tone, making it sound like a question more than a demand.

Can deliberated for a moment.

“Nah…I think I’m good like this,” he said with a teasing smile.

She blinked a couple of times, and he could almost see when her brain kicked in again and the protests started forming.  
He grinned and gently set her on her feet before she could start spitting fire.  
He kept his arm around her though, holding her close. He tugged a lock of hair behind her ear and studied her for a moment.

“You okay?” he asked.  
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said. “But I guess I owe the professor a new step stool,” she sighed, blushing a rosy pink.  
“Hmm…and a bowl-thingy too,” he said, nodding to where the two halves of the heavy bowl lay on the floor.  
“Oh!” she said in a small voice. 

She looked so cute when she was embarrassed, he thought, but he wisely refrained from saying so. 

“What exactly, were you planning on doing with that big old thing anyway?” he asked instead, frowning at the broken bowl.  
“Huh?” she mumbled, still sounding a little dazed.  
“The bowl,” he clarified, turning back to face her.

But she wasn’t looking at the bowl. 

She was staring at him, her face so close that he could see all the different shades of brown in her eyes and feel the soft puff of air she expelled.   
He watched with interest as her eyes slowly darkened, the pupils dilating to the point where her eyes turned almost black. Her gaze dropped to his lips and he was suddenly extremely aware that she was leaning on him, held close by the arm he had around her waist. His fingers had slipped under the hem of her sweater as he put her down, and he was caressing the silky, warm skin above the waistband of her pants. He could feel her chest expanding with every breath, pushing her body a tiny bit closer every time she inhaled. 

His gaze instinctively dropped to look at her mouth. She parted her lips and the pink tip of her tongue darted out to wet them. There was an acute responding tightening in his groin, and he couldn’t help the strangled sound that escaped him. 

She looked up at him from under her lashes. 

Slowly, she reached up with both hands, and ran her fingertips over his beard, starting at his top lip. Her light touch danced over his cheeks, touched briefly under his ears, and ran along his jaw before lightly smoothing over the beard on his chin. Her featherlight touch was sending dizzying sensations through him, and he was breathing hard with the effort to stay still and let her continue at her own pace. Her eyes followed where her fingers explored his face but stopped when they reached his lips again. 

She licked her own lips once more and let out a small sigh. The soft sound almost made him come undone, but he clenched his jaw, determined to let her set the pace for wherever this was going. 

If only she knew what she was doing to him, he thought foggily, suppressing a groan. 

But it was pure torture to stand still while she rose on her toes, painfully slowly, her body sliding against his, her hands cupping his face, her breath feathering over his lips. She hovered there for what seemed an eternity. Then her eyes met his briefly and it almost knocked the wind out of him. Her eyes were dark and heavy with need.

But underneath the heat there was an unmistakable glint of mischief. It dawned on him that for all her inexperience, she might actually have a pretty good idea what she was doing to him. 

“Enough,” he growled in a voice so raspy he hardly recognized it himself. 

And then he took charge. 

The kiss was almost desperate at first, with all the pent-up desire of not just the past five minutes, not just the past three days apart, but all the past weeks of growing tension.   
It was messy and urgent as they both tried to get closer and deeper at the same time. 

On some level, Can was aware that the situation was very close to getting out of hand and he seemed to recall that there was a reason he had to stop before he went too far. He just couldn’t remember what it was. 

His hand twisted in the hair at the nape of her neck, pulling enough to make her arch her back, giving him full access to her neck. He buried his nose in her neck, greedily breathing her in and tracing hot kisses from her ear all the way down to the base of her neck, pushing her sweater away to bite down lightly. She moaned softly, making him lick and bite that same spot again. His hand seemed to move of its own accord, sliding further up under her sweater, tracing her spine from her waist to the band of her bra and down again.  
She gasped and he lifted his head and caught her lips in another kiss. 

He was going entirely on instinct now, no thought breaking through the roaring in his ears, as he deepened the kiss, their tongues tangling, hands sliding over hot skin.   
She was squirming against him, pulling at the fabric of his t-shirt caught between their bodies. He was just about to help her move it out of the way, when an annoying ringing broke through the pounding of his heart and their combined heavy breathing. He ignored it and gripped her hips to pull her closer, unable to stop himself from grinding against her. She pushed her hands into his hair pulling it loose and changed the angle of the kiss. 

But the ringing noise continued and was getting louder by the second.

Finally, it reached a level that was impossible to ignore.

Can reluctantly broke off the kiss and looked around the kitchen to find the source of the offending noise.

Sanem was leaning on him, struggling to catch her breath, looking deliciously disheveled and distracting. Her parted lips were a deeper pink than usual and slightly swollen from their kissing.   
The ringing was becoming uncomfortable now.

“The oven timer,” she gasped, swiftly pushing off his chest.   
Her eyes still looked a little glazed as she righted herself, but she quickly turned around to grab the oven mitts.

Can watched all bemused as she opened the oven to pull out the lasagna. His heart was beating like he’d just run a marathon and he was extremely aware of an uncomfortable tightness in his pants. He discreetly adjusted himself while her back was turned, desperately trying to think of something - anything - to deflate his…situation.  
‘Get a grip, Divit!’ he reprimanded himself. ‘Before this gets out of hand.’  
‘Too late for that, wouldn’t you say?’ his inner voice observed acerbically.   
“Shut up!” he mumbled, wiping a hand over his face. He made a conscious effort to get his breathing under control and settle down.   
“Deep breaths. Don’t rush her,” he kept repeating to himself like a mantra. 

“What was that?” she asked over her shoulder, as she deposited the piping hot lasagna on the counter.   
“Huh? Oh! Nothing…” he mumbled, feeling uncharacteristically off kilter as he watched her move around the kitchen as if nothing had happened. 

But when she turned around and faced him, her cheeks were a flaming hot pink that he was pretty sure was not just curtesy of the hot oven. 

She looked utterly adorable and he was secretly pleased to see that she looked every bit as affected as he was.

Their eyes locked across the room, and they both smiled a little sheepishly.   
“Sanem,” he blurted. “About that kiss…”   
Sanem quickly dropped her gaze and started tracing patterns on the floorboards with the toe of one foot.   
“I didn’t mean for it to get so…you know…” He blew out a breath of air.  
She peeked up at him and gave him a shy smile.  
“Look, I really missed you these past three days,” he said quietly. “And I was just so excited to see you again, and…I guess I got a little carried away.”   
Sanem was still tracing patterns on the floor, not looking him in the eye.   
‘Damn, Divit, you really blew it this time,’ he thought, mentally kicking himself. Hard.  
She was chewing her lip, that small dent forming between her eyebrows again.

Then something occurred to him

“Wait a minute,” he said slowly, replaying the whole thing in his head, surprised at the amount of detail his brain had stored.   
“It was you!” he said. “You started it!”  
Her hair was covering the side of her face now, so he couldn’t be sure what was going on with her. 

But when she lifted her head back up, she was grinning mischievously, her eyes dancing with laughter.

“Yeah, you know…I think maybe I kind of missed you too…” she said with a blasé shrug.

It took a second for her words to register, but then he launched himself at her, fully intending to pick up where they left off. 

She laughed and pushed against his chest, keeping him at arm’s length.  
“But…” she giggled, as he growled and tried to lean in for another kiss.  
“You promised to feed me mister, and this lasagna just smells way too good to let go to waste.” 

She batted her eyelashes at him coyly, but underneath her playfulness he caught a hint of caution in her eyes, before she looked away.

He sighed theatrically and hung his head. Then he peeked up at her and grinned.  
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll feed you…first.”  
She blushed even deeper and threw him a slightly alarmed look.   
He couldn’t help laughing at her flustered look and reached out to pinch her cheek.  
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I can control myself, you know.” 

He winked at her and stepped back to give her space.

He grabbed an oven mitt and picked up the lasagna, tugged the bottle of wine under his arm while juggling his half empty wine glass with the other. Then he led the way into the living room. 

“This really does smell delicious,” she said as she gathered plates and utensils, balanced the salad bowl on top, and followed him. 

She chatted happily as the set the table and started piling food on their plates. Can couldn’t help smiling. When she was relaxed, she seemed to let everything that came into her head out through her mouth, and he was enjoying her unfiltered thought-process. 

Just as he was about to dig in, his phone vibrated with an incoming message.   
Without thinking he pulled it out of his pocket to check who it was from.  
A message from Denise flashed on the screen.  
“I’m coming to the island tomorrow. Meet me for coffee at 3”.


	22. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanem and Can head to town for Can's meeting with his editor Denise. Both of them have a lot riding on this meeting and they both have trouble dealing with it. But things are off to a rocky start...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick apology in advance - I've been on a ski-trip this past week and as it turns out that is not the ideal time and place for updating this story, so my apologies if this chapter reads a bit fragmented ;-)

“Do you want me to drop you off at the coffee shop?” he asked, with a quick glance in her direction before returning his eyes to the winding road.   
Sanem considered it for a moment.

“No, I’ll come along to Jake’s and say hi,” she decided. “It’s still early, and I’ll just walk down to Gee’s afterwards. It’s such a nice day,” she added, gazing up at the brilliant blue of the sky. 

There was not a cloud in sight, and the road along the rugged coastline lay shimmering in the sunlight. On both sides of the road a myriad of wildflowers, swayed gently in the breeze.  
Sanem still marveled at how much the island had changed in just a few short weeks. 

It had been beautiful in a stark and austere kind of way when she first arrived, but now an abundance of tiny wildflowers in delicate shades of yellow, white and purple had suddenly popped up everywhere. They covered the roadside ditches and every meadow. Some had even managed to take hold on the windblown grounds around the cottage, and as they drove along, she spotted the occasional patch of purple and white amongst the trees, where the last of the spring violets still lingered.

Yes, the day certainly was beautiful.

But the mood in the car was somewhat less serene, she thought wistfully, casting a furtive glance at Can. 

His eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses, making it difficult to judge his mood.   
But Sanem had already seen his eyes, when he picked her up earlier.   
He had looked tense, she recalled.   
Brooding. 

Now she watched him as he drove expertly, his full attention on the twists and turns of the narrow road.

The sleeves of his white shirt had been rolled up, showing off powerful arms, muscle rippling as he gripped the wheel, and worked the gearshift. The shirt was open at the neck, displaying a wide triangle of golden, tanned skin that drew her eyes.   
As she watched, he reached up and scratched his beard, making the shirt open a little wider. Sanem just caught a glimpse of the tattoo on his chest before he dropped his arm again and the shirt fell back in place. 

She sighed, feeling a little cheated, but then her thoughts returned to the matter at hand. 

Can’s meeting with his editor.

They were heading into town early, because Can wanted to stop by Jake’s first to discuss the next group-tour. That way the trip wouldn’t be a complete waste he’d said, but Sanem suspected he was just getting antsy from waiting. 

She knew him well enough to understand that he just wanted to get this meeting over with. He hated having to wait for the ferry to arrive and for his editor to settle in, before he could tackle the problem head on. 

She chuckled silently. 

Can Divit was definitely not the type to wait around patiently when presented with a problem! 

She almost felt sorry for this Denise person, she thought with a half-smile. The woman was holding a tiger by its tail right now, and she’d better be prepared to run! 

Although in Can’s case it was really more like a lion, she decided, studying his powerful physique and the mahogany mane of hair, tamed into a bun. A few strands had come loose and were blowing in the wind coming in the half open window.   
Sanem felt a familiar flutter and tightening in her belly as she looked at him.

‘So unfair,’ she thought to herself. ‘Even when he’s in a crappy mood he’s distracting.’ 

But truthfully, her own mood wasn’t the best right now either and she could really do with a little distraction. 

Last night Can had been irritated and distant after receiving that message from Denise. Sanem had been itching to ask him about her, but he’d made it clear that he didn’t want to talk about it. She’d expected him to cut the evening short, but instead, he’d apologized again for being so moody and the rest of the evening had been relaxed and fun. Can had chatted happily about the group he’d been guiding, and he’d laughed and joked about some funny characters, and incidents. 

She’d wound up nodding off, nestled comfortably against him, her head on his chest, her hand splayed on his stomach, while he played with her hair. 

Sanem felt a pleasurable shiver run down her back now just thinking about the way it felt when he did that. He seemed to have a thing for her hair, she’d noticed. She’d just never realized how sensual it could be. Sometimes he’d run his fingers slowly through the long strands, creating a tingling sensation down her spine, and a quick tightening of her belly whenever his fingers caught and pulled slightly. Other times he’d grab a fistful of hair and twist it around his fingers, the gentle tugging spreading a shivering awareness from the top of her head all the way through her body.

Sanem fanned herself surreptitiously. 

Phew! If the man could make her feel like that just from touching her hair, she couldn’t even imagine how it would feel when…

“Are you okay?” Can’s voice interrupted her thoughts. He’d pushed up his sunglasses and was giving her a searching look.  
“Sure, yes, of course…” she mumbled, feeling a treacherous blush creep into her cheeks.   
“You look a little hot,” he said, reaching over to cradle her cheek briefly in his hand.   
“I’m fine,” she said with a little more certainty. “I’m just hot from the sun, that’s all.”   
He gave her another probing look, before returning his attention to the road.

‘Great, Sanem’, she thought. ‘Maybe try dialing down the R-rated daydreams. We’re on serious business!’ 

And for some reason, the meeting was starting to make her nervous too. 

Or his mood was rubbing off on her. 

Either way, her stomach had been feeling a little shaky all day and she rubbed small circles over it now, as she rolled the window down a little further to get some fresh air.

The whole problem was that she really had no idea how Can would react when faced with his editor, she decided. 

Yes, he was annoyed with Denise right now, but she suspected he was quite able to rise above that if the right business opportunity presented itself.  
Sanem bit her lip.  
She really didn’t know what he was going to do. 

And she was slowly going crazy wondering about it, she realized with an exasperated sigh.

With her luck, he’d probably be on the next boat off the island headed to some far off place, for new adventures.

As if he could read her mind Can glanced in her direction.

She gave him a quick smile and looked back out the window.

It was all just so annoying! She seemed to have become a magnet for bad luck and accidents since she arrived on this island. 

Like the whole bowl-dropping debacle from last night? It was a perfect example, she thought broodingly.   
She had just wanted to do a load of her aunt’s famous Turkish bagels for breakfast, and invite Can over. He was always cooking for her, and she’d wanted to return the favor.   
‘And hopefully impress him a little bit too perhaps?’ her inner voice pointed out.  
Sanem shrugged.   
Maybe she had wanted to impress him.   
So what? With the way things were going, she needed to redeem herself somewhat, she thought a little dejectedly. She felt like he kept saving her from herself, and she was quite frankly a little sick of it. 

And last night had been another classic example. She had intended to set the dough to cold-proof overnight, but after falling off the stool and cracking the old dough bowl, she’d kind of forgotten all about bagels. 

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t so much the broken bowl that had distracted her, she sheepishly acknowledged. 

She shifted restlessly in her seat as her mind gave her a full Technicolor re-run of Can coming to her rescue once again and the kiss that had followed. She sighed softly and felt heat creeping up her neck at the memory of it.

She felt Can looking at her again, but she ignored it and kept her face turned away. 

‘Focus, Sanem,’ she scolded herself. ‘You’re supposed to be offering him moral support - not losing yourself in daydreams about kissing him!’

But really, who was she kidding? She was probably more on edge than he was at this point.

Some support she was! 

It was just that the suspense was killing her. 

Not knowing if he was going to come out of that meeting with an airplane ticket in his hand or a pink slip…if that was even actually a thing anymore. Why did they call it a pink slip anyway? Didn’t people get fired by email these days? And was it even possible to fire a free-lancer?  
Sanem ground her teeth in frustration and tried to reign in her run-away thoughts.

Basically, she had very neatly walked right into the exact situation she’d been trying to avoid for as long as she could remember, she realized somberly. 

She’d vowed never to get involved with someone she couldn’t depend on. And what did she do? She went and fell in love with a guy who spent more time on airplanes flying from one end of the world to the other than he did on solid ground!

‘Ah, so we’re admitting it now?’ her inner voice said in an annoyingly know-it-all tone. 

“Admitting what?” she grumbled under her breath.

Can cast another curious look her way but didn’t say anything.

‘That you’re in love with him,’ the voice in the back of her head said smugly.

***  
She was in love with Can Divit.  
In love!  
Not just attracted to him.   
Not just having an experimental summer-fling.  
She was in love.  
And there was no questioning it, either.   
It was a fact.   
She knew it was true.   
She knew it in her bones.   
The minute the thought had flashed through her head, she’d felt the truth of it.  
The realization was making her dizzy. 

Can pulled up in front of Jake’s shop and came around the car to open the door for her. Sanem still hadn’t quite gotten used to him doing that. She wasn’t entirely sure that she ought to accept such an archaic gesture in this day and age, but she secretly liked it, and right now she was grateful because she honestly wasn’t sure she could move at all. 

She felt like the world had tipped slightly on its axis. It was as if she was having a minor panic attack but at the same time there was an unfamiliar warm glow emanating from somewhere inside her that seemed to be spreading through her entire body.  
And it was all just too much for her to even contemplate moving. 

Can seemed to sense that she was a little off balance - literally as well as figuratively - but he didn’t ask any questions.   
Another thing to be grateful for, she thought hazily.  
She automatically took the hand he offered, as he helped her out of the car.   
He didn’t let go of it but laced his fingers through hers as he pulled her along towards Jake’s shop.   
Sanem was still reeling from her epiphany, and meekly followed his lead, glad that he didn’t seem to expect conversation. 

“Jake!” Can called as they entered the store.  
“Back here,” Jake’s muffled voice came from behind a mountain of boxes of various shapes and sizes, piled up on the only available floor space. The box-mountain hadn’t been there last time she’d been in here, but nothing really surprised her anymore when it came to the hardware store.   
“Hi guys,” Jake said, as he came out from behind the boxes, a little out of breath and with packing foam-pellets stuck in his dirty blonde surfer hair.   
“I was just sorting through the deliveries of on-line orders that arrived on the ferry just now.” He wiped his hands on his jeans and pulled a face.   
“People around here have no patience when it comes to their packages and the hordes will be descending shortly to claim their loot.” He shook his head and gave the box-pile a dark look. 

Then he seemed to shake it off and looked between the two of them, his keen eyes pausing briefly on their entwined hands.   
“Let’s go talk out back,” he said with an impish grin. “Let them sort out their own packages.”  
He turned on his heel and headed into the maze of the store. 

Can was about to follow, but Sanem pulled on his hand to make him stop.

“Can, I think I’ll just head over to Gee’s right away,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t sound as off to him as it did in her head.  
“You two are going to talk shop and then you have to go meet your editor. I’ll just be in the way,” she added with a smile.

She was starting to think it might have been a mistake to come with him at all. 

It was just that she’d been so curious about this editor woman. And if she was being completely honest with herself, there had also been a considerable element of ‘I’m-silently-freaking-out-over-here – please-tell-me-what’s-going-on-in-your head’ behind her decision to come.  
Whatever the reason, she was here now. 

She wasn’t going to the actual meeting, of course. But she’d been supposed to keep him company until then, and she’d planned on at least getting a glimpse of the mysterious Denise.

But now, with her heart chanting ‘I love you!’ every time she glanced at him, and her head preparing her for a worst-case scenario where he might be gone by nightfall, she just couldn’t handle the banter and small talk that hanging out with Jake would entail.

“Are you guys coming?” Jake yelled from the back of the store.  
“I’m off to see Gee – I’ll see you later, Jake,” Sanem called back. 

She gave Can a small wave goodbye and turned to go and drown out her confused thoughts in Gee’s specialty coffees and copious amounts of island gossip.  
But she hadn’t taken more than two steps when Can’s hand closed around her wrist and he spun her back around and right into his arms.

She gasped as she found herself flush against his hard body. His arms slid around her back, forming a gentle cage around her. His face was so close his beard tickled her lips and his breath mingled with hers. For a long moment they just stood there, breathing each other in, their eyes locked.   
Then he smiled that mischievous, half-smile of his.  
“Have fun at Gee’s” he said softly.   
And then his lips were on hers in a soft, lingering kiss.

Sanem sighed and closed her eyes, feeling herself relax and giving herself over to the sensation. It was a gentle kiss but somehow, she felt it all the way to her core. He held her close and slowly moved his mouth over hers, in a lazy, indulgent kiss that seemed to go on for hours. Soft, sweet and gentle. But at the same time every little lick, suck and bite seemed to resonate through her body, making her squirm and pant, even while the softness was making her heart expand almost painfully. She vaguely wondered if this new reaction had anything to do with her recent discovery, but whatever was causing it, the sensory overload was overwhelming. Eventually Can ended the kiss, much too soon, and she couldn’t help the small, mewling, sound of protest that escaped her.

He rubbed his nose against hers a couple of times before burying his face in her neck briefly.   
“Oh, and Sanem,” he whispered in her ear.  
“When I pick you up after my meeting, we’re going to talk about what it is that’s had you so on edge all day.” He lifted his head and gave her a pointed look.  
Sanem could only blink up at him.   
When she didn’t speak, Can lifted his eyebrows in an expression she was becoming very familiar with.  
“Come on, Sanem,” he said. “I may have been preoccupied with this meeting but you didn’t seriously expect me not to notice that you’ve been silently freaking out about something all day?”  
Sanem gulped, and tried smiling, but the smile felt weird on her face.  
“I-I…I’ll talk to you later,” she mumbled trying to push out of his embrace.  
But he wasn’t having it.  
He shook his head with another crooked smile.   
“Yes, we will talk,” he said, his hand slowly caressing the nape of her neck in a mesmerizing rhythm that had her closing her eyes and leaning into him again.  
‘Dammit Sanem, get a grip!’ she silently berated herself. ‘You’re like a puppy being petted by its favorite human…’  
But before she could make herself move, he pulled back a little to look at her.  
Sunlight hit the side of his face, turning his eyes to a warm, liquid amber as he smiled at her. He bent his head to slowly rub his nose against hers one more time and then he kissed her again. 

“Can?” Jakes voice, much closer this time, interrupted their kiss.  
“Oops, sorry,” he said when he walked out from behind the boxes and saw the two of them.   
Can didn’t look at his friend but took his time to study her face.   
“Whatever it is that’s bothering you,” he mumbled, his voice too low for Jake to hear. “We’ll figure it out.”  
Then he gave her a quick peck on the cheek and let her go.  
“Say hi to Gee for me,” he said in his normal voice, as she turned on rubbery legs to walk out.

***

Sanem couldn’t have said how she managed to get herself from Jake’s store to the coffee shop.   
She walked in a daze, her mind reeling from everything that was going on in her head.   
It was all just too much.   
And now Can had suddenly developed this inconvenient insight into her state of mind?   
Other women were forever complaining that men were clueless about their feelings, but of course she had to go and fall for one, who seemed to have emotional laser-vision. 

Sanem pulled a face.

She was only half looking were she was going and managed to stub her toe painfully on the curb as she crossed the road.   
“Great!” she mumbled to herself, wincing as she limped on.  
“Maybe I’ll manage to get myself run over and I’ll never know how that meeting went.” 

She looked up to find herself in front of the coffee shop. 

With the weather getting warmer, the sidewalk in front of the shop had been taken over by a row of small round tables, where sun-starved customer could get their daily caffeine fix and a dose of vitamin D in one go.   
Today all the outside tables were taken, mostly with tourists with maps and guidebooks, drinking coffee in the sun and planning their day of hiking or sightseeing. 

Sanem sighed in resignation.

The coffee shop was probably going to be crowded inside too. She’d hoped to hang out with Gee but she might need a plan B, she realized. 

She was mulling over her options, when she saw Gee’s slightly eccentric co-owner, Ceycey, come out carrying a tray of coffees. Ceycey started serving the waiting customers, making polite small talk as he made the round of the tables. 

Sanem watched as he placed the last cup on the table by the door, in front of a woman with huge, dark sunglasses and glossy copper-red hair, that tumbled in luxurious waves around her shoulders. The woman didn’t look up from her phone, but just waved him away as she continued typing with a slim, gold, stylus. She didn’t look like the usual tourist Sanem noticed in passing, as she waved at Ceycey.   
Ceycey flashed her a happy smile and waited for her by the door. 

It was the sudden look of alarm on his face that alerted her to the danger.

It wasn’t enough to avoid the collision, but the split-second’s warning probably saved her from falling flat on her face as a big, golden, fur-ball torpedoed into her legs in its rush to get to someone amongst the tables. She only just managed to regain her balance when a woman in hiking gear and an unwieldy backpack slung over her shoulder barreled into her in pursuit of the big Golden Retriever puppy. The impact sent her crashing into the nearest table, and suddenly everything was confusion.   
The puppy was yapping in excitement, completely oblivious to the people and tables it was knocking into, the woman with the backpack was yelling at it to ‘heel’ and the person at the table Sanem had bumped into was screaming at her about something. Sanem automatically mumbled an apology to the woman at the table, before joining the chase for the over-excited puppy. Finally the puppy’s owner managed to put a leash on it and dragged it away with a never-ending stream of apologies. 

Sanem turned back to Ceycey with a grin. The exuberance and joy of the puppy had momentarily made her forget all her worries and she was flushed and disheveled from the chase.

“Hey! You…boy! Are you going to help me here?” an angry voice interrupted.  
It took a moment for Sanem to realize that the voice was talking to Ceycey, and that it belonged to the red-haired woman, whose table she had accidentally been knocked into. 

Now she noticed the broken coffee cup on the pavement and the puddle of latte-colored beverage that was quickly spreading on the red-haired woman’s table.

Ceycey jumped into action, frantically untying his apron and using it to try and wipe up the latte before the milky coffee could drip on to the red haired woman’s clothes. His efforts were clearly in vain though, judging by the splatter of brown stains down the front of the woman’s cream-colored blouse, Sanem noticed with a wince. 

The woman held out her dripping wet purse for him to see.

“Look at this,” she snapped, shoving the wet purse at him. “Do you have any idea how much this cost? And now it’s most likely ruined.” 

Sanem thought that was probably overstating things a bit. The purse looked like it was made from black leather with some sort of shiny coating, and it could probably be wiped off without any real damage. 

“And look at my shirt!” the redhead exclaimed as she looked down and noticed the stains all over the front. “I’ll never get these out! This is just a disaster!” 

Then her gaze fell on Sanem and she seemed to find a new target for her anger.

“You!” she sneered. “Look what you’ve done, you clutz!” she spat, ineffectively wiping at her shirt with a paper napkin.  
“I’m really sorry,” Sanem said, “but it was an accident.”  
“Maybe if you’d looked where you were going, accidents wouldn’t happen,” the redhead said, glaring at her. Sanem couldn’t see her eyes behind those dark sunglasses, but she could practically feel the disdain in the look.   
“Look, I’m really sorry,” Sanem said slowly losing sympathy for the coffee-splattered lady. “No one did this on purpose. I was pushed and collided with your table. That’s all.”  
The redhead just glared at her, mumbling something inarticulate under her breath and wiping even more furiously at the stain.

Ceycey was looking desperately between the two women, clearly not sure how to handle the enraged customer.   
“Why don’t you come inside so we can get you cleaned up?” he offered uncertainly.   
“No, I will not come in so you can ruin my blouse completely,” the redhead said in an imperious tone, pulling the apron roughly from Ceycey’s hand and using it to wipe off her purse. She gathered up her phone and the golden stylus, both of which had thankfully escaped the coffee, and stepped close to Ceycey, shoving the sopping wet apron at him.   
“Why don’t you concentrate on cleaning up this mess,” the woman said in a low voice, indicating the broken cup on the pavement, “while I try and salvage my belongings?” 

She stepped around Ceycey and started walking away. 

Poor Ceycey looked mortified. 

For a second Sanem was stunned at the rude behavior of the red-haired woman. Then something snapped inside her.

She couldn’t have said if it was Ceycey’s crestfallen face or the emotional meltdown she’d been nurturing all day that made her do it. But the fact was, she needed to vent, and the red-haired woman’s behavior had just presented her with a target.

She spun around and in a few long strides she caught up to the woman and grabbed her arm.

“Hey!” she yelled. “That was completely uncalled for lady!”   
The redhead stopped and turned to face her.  
“Excuse me?” she said, pushing her dark sunglasses up in her hair, revealing a pair of emerald green eyes that probably would have been gorgeous if the look they were directing at Sanem had been less icy.   
“You heard me,” Sanem continued, fired up with righteous indignation.  
“There was no need to treat Ceycey like that. It was an accident. He was trying to help, and you just blew up in his face!” Sanem shook her head angrily at the other woman.  
The woman studied her for a moment.  
“I don’t know who you are, or who this ‘JJ’ is,” she said in a tone that sounded both bored and glacial. “But I’m not going to get into a discussion with either of you, over the correct response to being drenched in coffee! Thanks to you I now have to go and change before my meeting, so if you’ll excuse me…!”   
She dropped the big sunglasses back over her eyes, turned sharply on her stiletto ankle boots and headed up the street. 

Sanem stared after her for a few moments. 

Then she hurried back to help Ceycey.

***

Half an hour and a big chocolate mocha later, Sanem was feeling a lot better. 

Ceycey’s distress and the minor shouting match with the red-haired customer had distracted her so much that she had managed to forget her own concerns for at least a little while. 

In addition, her outburst had apparently turned her into a hero in Ceycey’s eyes.   
The quirky little co-owner with the weird fashion sense was now following her every move and gesture with big, adoring, puppy-dog eyes. 

Every time she looked up from her coffee, he was there, ready with offerings of cookies, napkins, refills…anything at all for the woman, who had stood up to a customer on his behalf.

Sanem thought his hero-worship was cute but also a tad out of proportion with what she’d actually done, and she silently prayed that he’d cut out the adoring-puppy behavior before she accidentally started petting his head. 

“So, what was this woman like?” Gee asked, leaning on the counter I front of Sanem with a smile that somehow managed to be both conspiratorial and gleeful. The incident with the redhead was clearly catnip for the island’s unofficial and most in-depth source of news, and right now she mostly resembled a kid about to dig into a huge ice cream sundae with a cherry on top. 

Sanem couldn’t help laughing. 

She really liked Gee. 

She liked her a lot. Gee was funny, smart and resourceful, and she didn’t take any crap from anybody. In a lot of ways Gee actually reminded her of Zoe, she thought absentmindedly. 

The only thing she hadn’t quite gotten used to, was this insatiable thirst for knowledge…okay, gossip…that seemed to be Gee’s main energy-source in life. 

“Well,” Sanem said hesitantly, trying to come up with a diplomatic answer.   
“She looked like a city woman,” she finally decided on.   
“You know, smart clothes, high heels, manicure, hair that looked like she came straight from a salon?”  
Gee nodded eagerly, clearly expecting more juicy details to follow.  
Sanem bit her lip, as she tried to dig up something that would satisfy Gee.   
“She definitely didn’t look like anyone from around here,” she added with emphasis.   
“At first, I thought she was just one of the day-trippers, you know?” she said, automatically using the islander’s word for the tourists who’d come over to spend the day browsing the souvenir shops on Main Street, eating lobster at the boardwalk and taking walks along the beach before going back to the mainland with stories about ‘hiking’ on the island.  
“But her clothes gave her away. And those heels of course,” Sanem snorted and shook her head at the ridiculousness of anybody attempting to walk in shoes like that.  
“She looked like some kind of businesswoman,” she continued. “You know those types who are always on their phone while typing away on a tablet, even when they’re in line to order coffee?”  
Gee nodded knowingly.  
“In fact, she was typing away on her phone just before it all happened,” Sanem recalled.   
“Anyway, she’s gone, and I doubt we’ll see her again.” Sanem shrugged and took another sip of her coffee.  
“I just can’t believe I missed all the fun!” Gee whined. “Nothing ever happens here and the only time there’s a bit of excitement, I’m out back sorting deliveries.”

Sanem decided not to comment on her friend’s definition of ‘fun’ and leaned her elbows on the counter, ready to change the subject. 

“So how are those auditions coming?” she asked, knowing that the only thing that could distract Gee from island gossip was her never ending attempts to break into showbiz. 

Gee immediately took the bait and launched into a detailed description of her latest try-out for a part in a play. 

Sanem silently wondered if maybe Gee would have more luck trying out for a reality show, but she wisely kept those thoughts to herself. 

She was only half paying attention to Gee’s re-telling of a dialogue she’d memorized when the bell over the door chimed, signaling the arrival of a new customer. 

Gee stopped talking and looked over Sanem’s shoulder to see who had entered.

Sanem was about to take another sip from her cup, but the look of mixed curiosity and excitement on Gee’s face made her pause and turn around to see who it was.

Can stood just inside the door along with another person, but whoever it was, was almost hidden behind his large frame.

Sanem felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of him and she automatically slid off her stool and started moving towards him. 

His eyes immediately zeroed in on her too, and he smiled that special little smile that started in his eyes and slowly lit up his whole face.

He turned to move towards her, but before Sanem could reach him, the person who’d come in with him, pushed past him and grabbed his arm.

“Let’s see if we can find a table in the back, Can,” the woman said. 

And suddenly Sanem was glad she didn’t have coffee in her mouth because she would surely have spewed it all over the newcomer.

The cream-colored blouse and pencil skirt had been exchanged for a short, black wrap-dress, that molded itself to a curvaceous body, showing off a very impressive cleavage and a pair of long, shapely legs ending in another pair of towering heels.   
But the copper-red curls and the green cat-eyes were exactly like before, and so was the sneer on the woman’s face the minute she clapped eyes on Sanem. 

“Hang on,” Can said with a frown at the other woman.  
“There’s someone I want you to meet.”

Sanem felt like the floor had disappeared from under her. Again! 

She hardly knew how she was still standing, and all she could hear was a strange roaring noise. 

“Sanem?” Can’s voice broke through the chaos in her head and she blinked up at him.

He was holding his hand out to her, a confused look on his face. 

Sanem looked in shock between him and the redhead. Her eyes finally landed on the hand that was still possessively gripping Can’s arm and she suddenly seemed to be seeing everything through a red haze. 

With angry determination she stepped close to his side and placed her hand firmly in his, never taking her eyes off the other woman’s face. 

Can bend his head to give her a quick peck on the cheek. Then he turned to the redhead, something like pride glinting in his eyes. 

“Denise, I’d like you to meet my girl-friend, Sanem.”

Sanem’s head snapped up to look at him and she felt like she’d just had the wind knocked out of her for the second time within minutes. But she didn’t have time to recover before Can turned back to her.

“Sanem, this is my editor, Denise,” he said.


	23. Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can and Denise finally have their meeting, but personal matters get all tangled up in the business-bits and Can is having trouble navigating through it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Can dropped the GF-bomb...and now he needs to deal with the fall-out.   
Oh and...sorry in advance. there's a lot of talk-talk-talk in this chapter...

Can had the bizarre feeling that he’d been dropped into a scene of a movie but with the wrong script in hand. No one was doing or saying what they were supposed to.  
Denise was acting weird, being all stilted and formal.  
Sanem hadn’t uttered a word, just held out a limp hand for Denise to shake. But the look on her face was a bit disturbing. She looked stunned and upset and also slightly panicky he thought.   
And Gee was practically salivating behind the counter, eyes dancing with excitement over…what exactly?  
His mind was racing back over the past couple of minutes to try and find an explanation, and it came to a screeching halt at his own words.   
He’d introduced Sanem as his girlfriend he realized belatedly, and now he had to wonder just how much he’d screwed up by doing so.   
‘But why shouldn’t you, really?’ The voice in the back of his voice seemed to with him on this one.   
He’d thought they were on the same page by now.  
They were definitely more than just dating, weren’t they?   
And last night...   
Last night she’d…well, she’d…   
He felt heat creeping up the back of his neck just thinking about the way she’d initiated that kiss and how she’d responded to him.   
And this morning, she’d been fine with holding hands in public and even kissing in a semi-public place like Jake’s store.  
No, it made no sense that she should be upset by the ‘girlfriend’-introduction, he thought.   
There had to be a different explanation.   
“Well, Can,” Denise said in that same weird stilted tone, she’d been using since they entered the coffee shop. “Shall we get started?”  
“Yeah, yeah, sure…” he mumbled, still not quite sure what was going on.   
“Why don’t you go and find a table and I’ll order our coffees,” he said in a more decisive tone. “Latte, right?” he added.  
“As always,” Denise said with a wink and an almost girlish giggle that was so out of character for her, Can just stared at her for a long moment.   
What on earth was wrong with everybody? He frowned and turned back to Sanem.  
“Are you all right?” he asked in a low voice, still not entirely certain that she wasn’t freaking out about the girlfriend-bit.  
“Huh?” Sanem mumbled, looking pretty shell-shocked. “Fine! I’m fine,” she added in an absentminded tone that made it abundantly clear that she was simply placating him right now. She was obviously anything but fine.   
“Okay, we’re going to have a talk about this right now,” Can whispered in her ear, as he grabbed her by the elbow and steered her towards the kitchen entrance, past a hyperventilating Ceycey and an almost ecstatic Gee.   
“Can?” Denise’s voice cut through the noise in the café. “Are you coming?”  
“I’ll just be a minute,” he called not even bothering to look back.   
As soon as they were through the swing door to the kitchen, Can stopped and spun her around backing her up against the cool tiles of the wall. He paid no attention to the startled looking young girl who was busy loading the dishwasher.   
The girl took one frightened look at his grim expression and bolted through the doors into the coffee shop.  
Can very deliberately placed his hands on the wall either side of Sanem’s head, effectively caging her in.   
“So,” he said. “Care to explain what’s going on?”   
Sanem blinked up at him a couple of times still looking pretty out of it.   
“Is this about me introducing you as my girlfriend?” he asked, hating the sudden flash of insecurity.  
“What? No!” she said. “Of course not!”  
Then she smiled mischievously and rose on her toes to give him a quick peck on the cheek.   
“I actually thought that was kind of cute…boyfriend,” she giggled.  
“Cute??” he growled.  
“You think I’m cute?” he scowled down at her, thinking he would show her cute!  
But then he saw the beaming smile on her face.  
“Oh,” he said a little flustered.   
‘Am I actually blushing?’ he thought distractedly. ‘I can’t believe this! I’m acting like a schoolboy with his first crush!’  
And then he forgot all about lingering self-doubts as Sanem threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug.   
“I love that you called me your girlfriend,” she whispered.  
Her words caused something like a mini-explosion of pure happiness, starting somewhere in his chest-region and radiating through his entire body.   
He wasn’t really aware of doing it, but he hauled her even closer, hugging her as tight as he could, as if he simply couldn’t get close enough.   
The need for air soon had her wriggling against him, laughing and pushing against his shoulders.   
He pulled back only slightly and leaned his forehead against hers.   
“Good,” he mumbled. “I’m glad that’s settled.”   
But he couldn’t help the big grin that spread on his face so he buried his face in her neck, inhaling her intoxicating scent, trying to get a grip on his raging emotions.   
Sanem laughed as his beard tickled her and dug her fingers into his hair, pulling his head up so she could look into his eyes.  
The look in her eyes almost sent him spinning again.  
It mirrored the sudden feeling of overwhelming joy that was still coursing through him, and for a brief moment he felt completely lost but at the same time firmly anchored, right here with this woman.   
They stared at each other for a long moment.   
He thought that Sanem was about to say something, but then she seemed to change her mind, a slow blush creeping into her cheeks.   
And then he couldn’t wait any longer.   
With an impatient groan he kissed her.   
Can didn’t know how it was possible, but somehow this kiss felt different than any of the other kisses they’d shared. He felt it everywhere, like a tightly wound ball of happiness that slowly unfurled and spread through him like liquid heat. It was almost painful but in the best possible way he thought.   
He was no longer aware of the harsh fluorescent lighting, the cold hard tiles on the wall or the lingering smells of cinnamon, coffee beans and cleaning products.   
All he sensed was her scent, her warm, soft body in his arms, her lips sliding against his, teeth nipping, tongues licking, fingers caressing, hands grabbing, pushing…   
And then he was pushing her roughly up against the wall, no longer concerned with holding anything back as the kiss became more passionate. Her hands were in his hair, her nails scratching lightly down the back of his neck, making him want to growl. He pushed one hand up under her t-shirt, skimming over the silky, warm skin on her belly, slowly travelling up over her ribs, pushing her t-shirt up as he went. He wanted to look at her, but then she did something with her tongue and he lost himself in deepening the kiss. His hand continued up till he met the lacy band of her bra. She sighed into his mouth as his fingers lightly traced the curve of her breast, and she involuntarily leaned into his touch.   
This time a soft growl did rumble threw his chest and he instinctively pushed his hips hard against her body, pinning her in place. Her hands slid down his back and started pushing up under his shirt, tracing patterns on the bare skin of his lower back, making him grind against her in a desperate attempt to find relief from the building tension.   
He felt like he was spinning out of control, but he never wanted it to stop.   
“Can? Are you guys okay out there?” Gee’s voice from the other side of the door was like a bucket of cold water to his overheated system. A very unwelcome reminder of where they were.  
Reluctantly he ended the kiss.  
They were both panting, staring at each other in wonder.   
“We…We’ll be right out Gee,” he said, in a voice he hardly recognized as his own.  
Sanem’s slow smile quickly turned into a giggle and then an outright laugh.  
He shook his head and grinned at her, unable to reign in the giddy happiness bubbling inside him.   
She seemed to have finally gone back to her normal self, he noticed with relief, as they both took a minute to adjust their clothes and hair.   
But he still had no clue what had caused her weird mood a minute ago, he suddenly realized.   
If it wasn’t the girlfriend-label, then what was it?  
“So…we’re good then?” he said.  
“Oh yeah,” she said with a glowing smile. “We’re very good.”  
He tugged a lock of hair behind her ear - unnecessarily, but he just had to touch her.   
“Well then, what was that all about?” he said, indicating the coffee-shop. “Why were you acting so weird before?”  
“Oh, that…” she said, her smile slowly fading as she sobered up.   
“Yeah, that,” he insisted.  
Sanem sighed and blew a stray lock of hair away from her face.  
“That was not about you. It was just that…Denise was a bit of a surprise, that’s all,” she said.  
Can tilted his head and looked at her intently.   
“Explain please,” he said  
Sanem made a face.  
“I might as well tell you, I guess,” she said in a sort of grumpy tone. “You’ll find out soon enough anyway.”  
“Find out what, exactly,” he asked.  
“Denise and I…we kind of had a little run-in earlier,” Sanem said, looking up at him from under her lashes.   
’A run-in?’ he thought. He felt a smile tugging at his lips.   
The innocent look on her face didn’t fool him. He had a pretty good idea what his sweet little girlfriend was capable of if provoked. However, he also had first-hand knowledge of Denise’s temper. He knew for a fact that it easily confirmed every stereotype about redheads, and he could just imagine how explosive a ‘run-in’ between the two of them would have been.  
“A run-in?” he asked, trying to keep a straight face.  
She bit her lip and looked down.  
“Sanem?” he prodded.  
“It was nothing, really,” she shrugged.  
“You do know that eventually Gee will get the full story and that she’ll be more than happy to share it with me, right?” he asked no longer able to suppress his grin.  
Sanem rolled her eyes theatrically.  
“Yeah, well, maybe you should just get it from her then,” she grumbled. “I’m sure her version of the story will be way more fun that what actually happened!”  
He just looked at her, waiting her out.   
“Okay, okay,” she said in exasperation. “But for the record, I had no idea who she was,” she added.   
“I wouldn’t have gotten into an argument with her if I’d known she was your editor,” she said defensively. Then she sighed.   
“But we didn’t get off to the best start. I guess it’s safe to say that Denise and I…we’re not likely to become best friends anytime soon.”   
Sanem pulled a face.  
“What happened exactly?” he probed.  
She tried to turn her head away, but he caught her chin and lifted her face to his.  
“We had a little disagreement over…coffee,” she finished lamely.   
He gave her a dubious look.   
No way had that been about coffee!  
“Really Can, it’s not important,” she said.  
He was about to argue but Sanem interrupted him.  
“Aren’t you supposed to be in a meeting right now anyway?” she said archly. “Somehow Denise doesn’t strike me as the most patient of women.” She batted her eyelashes at him, and he almost laughed at her blatant attempt to avoid telling him what happened.  
Fine!   
Denise would certainly tell him, he decided.  
“You’re right,” he grinned.  
“I’d better go deal with that. Why don’t you go and drink…something decaf while I have a chat with Denise? I shouldn’t be long.”  
He winked at her and stepped back to release her. But at the last minute he leaned back in and kissed her one more time.  
Then he smiled at her and pushed through the doors back into the coffee shop.

***

Something was definitely up with Denise. The fact that she’d come to the island was in itself a red flag, but now that she was here, she was acting completely out of character. She even looked different he suddenly noticed.  
He studied her furtively trying to put a finger on what was different about her.   
Denise had never been shy about using her…natural assets, to her advantage, he knew. They’d been friends since university and she’d always known exactly how to make the most of her pin-up proportions, fire-engine red hair and green cat-eyes in her fight to get to the top. Over the years he’d watched her twist stuffy professors and sleezy corporate types around her little finger enough times to know the power she wielded when it suited her. He’d even admired the way she’d subtly maneuvered through a male-dominated business world, by seemingly over-playing her femininity, even while he knew she was as tough as steel underneath that soft, sex-kitten exterior she liked to hide behind.  
But now he noticed that her usual ‘sexy librarian’-uniform had been replaced with something that he could only describe as a walking, talking Tinder-profile! The dress she was wearing was definitely more suited to a nightclub than a professional meeting in a coffee shop and the stilettos were just downright ridiculous in a place like this where everyone else wore sneakers or hiking boots.  
And unfortunately he could only think of one reason for the sudden change.   
She knew he wasn’t susceptible to her usual tactics, so she’d gone all vamp-out to try and sucker-punch him into submission.   
Well, she was in for a disappointment, he thought, gritting his teeth.  
“Just for the record,” she was saying in that raspy, blues-singer voice of hers that had other men fantasizing about doing dirty deeds in dark corners.   
“I’m really sorry about before. I know I over-reacted a bit. I was just really…nervous about pitching this to you and trying to concentrate and…well, I’m sorry.”  
“Before?” Can gave her a confused look.  
“The coffee-thing? With your…friend?” she clarified.  
Ah! A lightbulb went on in Can’s head. He’d already forgotten about her little ‘run-in’ with Sanem in his attempt to decipher her odd behavior.  
“First of all,” he said. “Sanem is my girlfriend.”   
He gave her a pointed look.  
Denise took a sip of her coffee but didn’t comment on the correction.   
He felt a flash of irritation at her blatant dismissal of Sanem’s status in his life but decided to let it slide for now.  
“And second, you’ve never been nervous about a pitch in your life,” he said. “And certainly not to me. So what’s going on Denise?”  
He leaned back in his chair, arms folded across his chest, waiting her out.  
Denise put down her cup and looked straight at him.   
“I needed your full and undivided attention for this,” she started.   
“So much so, that you had to come all the way out here?” he asked in disbelief.  
He leaned forward, cupping his untouched coffee mug in his hands.   
“Look Denise, we’ve worked together for a long time, and we’ve been friends even longer. You know me. You know that when I tell you that I’ve decided to make a change, I mean it.”  
She pursed her lips and gave a slight nod, in acknowledgement of that.   
“I already told you I wasn’t doing any more freelancing, and I’m not changing my mind about that,” he continued. “So I’m sorry you came all the way up here. If you’d just told me over the phone, I could have saved you the trip.”  
Denise leaned forward, reaching for his hands.   
He surreptitiously slid them off the table and folded them across his stomach as he waited to hear what she had to say.  
Denise sighed and rolled her eyes at him, but didn’t seem fazed by his attitude.  
“Just hear me out, okay?” she said.  
He just inclined his head and let her talk.  
“I know you said that you were thinking about changing, giving up the freelancing, but…”  
“Not thinking about it, Denise,” he interrupted. “I’m dropping it.”  
“Okay, okay, got it,” she said, a slight irritation creeping into her voice.  
“But the job I want to discuss with you is something different. It’s not like any of the jobs I’ve sent your way before. And it’s not freelancing.” She paused for effect, trying to gauge his mood.  
“It’s a long-term contract, and it’s…well, it’s a very lucrative deal, Can,” she said seriously.  
There was an edge to her voice, he noticed.   
Something was up and she was actually nervous he realized.   
“The company has received an offer from one of the big networks for a series of documentaries. The show would essentially be your special brand of articles but on national tv, rather than in a paper or magazine.” Denise paused and took a deep breath.  
“And they want you to host the show.”  
“What?” he said completely taken aback.   
“I know! It’s really huge,” she said enthusiastically. “You’d be doing your research like you always do, but instead of writing an article about it you’d be talking about it, filming on location, doing filmed interviews and presenting it on an episode of the show. She beamed at him, as if she’d handed him the keys to heaven.  
He stared at her for a moment.  
“No thank you,” he said firmly.  
“What?” she said, sitting up straight. “What do you mean ‘no’?”  
“I mean ‘no’,” he said calmly.  
“Just like that?” she said with a frown. “Without asking any questions? No details? Just no?”  
“Just no,” he confirmed.  
Denise stared at him for a long moment.  
“Do you care to explain why you’re turning this down without even hearing any details?” she asked stiffly.  
Can sighed and slid his hands down his denim-clad thighs.  
“Denise, I already told you I’m not going to do any more jobs for you or for the company. I’m not interested.”   
He shrugged.  
Denise mulled that over for a minute.   
Then she put down her coffee and cleared her throat.  
“You should know that the deal would be very lucrative,” she said quietly. “Not just for you but for the company too.” She gave him a keen look.   
When he didn’t respond she looked out the window, biting her lip, a worried little crease settling on her forehead. She gave a trembling sigh and twirled a lock of her hair around her finger, looking deep in thought.   
Can knew that tactic. He’d seen her employ it loads of times in the past and he almost laughed as he saw her try it out on him now. The quivering lip, ‘damsel-in-distress-I’m-going-to-loose-my-job-if-you-don’t-say-yes’-act was not going to fly with him. She should know better.   
“Just spit it out Denise,” he said.  
She huffed and dropped the act, looking him straight in the eye.  
“It’s pretty simple Can,” she said. “This offer would make a great deal of money. Money that the company could really use right now. You know that the transition to digital media hasn’t been easy. Subscriptions have been down for a while and management is looking for new ways to make a profit. This deal is exactly the thing we’ve been looking for. If we don’t close this deal…” she paused for a beat.  
“Well, there will be cut-backs. People will lose their jobs. People who have been working at this company for a lifetime. People that you have been working with for years.”  
She gave a sad little sigh and leaned back in her chair.  
He stared at her incredulously.  
“I’m not trying to manipulate you, Can,” she said. “I’m just telling it how it is. Those are the facts. What you choose to do with it is on you.”  
“Wow, really, Denise?” he said coldly. “You want to guilt-trip me into doing this job? Seriously?” He shook his head in disbelief.  
“That’s blackmail Denise, and you know it! I would have thought that was beneath you,” he said scathingly.   
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he had to wonder why he was even surprised. Denise was known for being ruthless in business matters. He had just never been on the receiving end of it before.   
“Oh, come on, Can!” she said in an overbearing tone. “We’re both adults here, and you know the game.”  
She shrugged.   
“Besides, it’s not untrue. The company is in trouble and this deal could be a game-changer for us. For all of us.”  
“Yeah well, I’m not interested. But it shouldn’t be too hard to find another reporter to host your show. Loads of people would jump at the chance. Stop wasting your time on me and go find someone who actually wants this,” he said, getting more irritated by the minute.   
“Unfortunately, it’s not that easy Can,” she said.   
“The network wants you specifically.”  
He just scoffed and looked away.   
“I mean it, Can. It’s a package deal. We bring you in and they sign the deal for the series with our company.”  
“That’s crazy,” he said. “Why would they want me? It makes no sense. I’ve never even done television before. Do they even know who I am and what I do?”   
“Actually, they know exactly who you are and what you do,” Denise said in an annoyingly patient tone.   
“Remember that interview you gave when you did that article on children in refugee camps? Well, one of their scouts saw the interview, liked your style and did a pretty thorough research on you. They want you for this job.” Denise leaned back as if that explanation would seal the deal.   
“That’s just dumb,” he argued. “I’m a writer and researcher. Not a show-host. They can find a million guys better qualified for that job.”  
“But the viewers want you, Can,” Denise explained slowly as if she was talking to someone slightly slow on the uptake.   
“What?” he said. “How would they know what the viewers would want? I’ve never done any screenwork. Come on, Denise, this is all bull-shit.” He pushed away from the table about to get up and leave, but Denise quickly leaned over and placed a hand on his arm.   
“Please, Can,” she said. “Just hear me out.”  
He glared at her but stayed put.  
“The focus groups all came back picking you out of all the options. They like you. You’re real. You’ve got credibility, honesty…you appeal to men and women alike with your adventurous yet no-nonsense approach to reporting…and of course there’s a certain, rough sex-appeal that especially the female segment responded well to.” Denise gave him a coy smile.   
“The focus groups?” he asked incredulously. “When did they…how did I get to be in a focus group?”   
“It’s no big deal, Can,” she said. “They always do this as part of the selection process. They just used clips from the interview I mentioned.”   
There was a slight pause.   
“And some pictures and quotes from some of the tabloids,” she added more reluctantly. “You’ve been in the public eye for ages Can, and you know it.”  
Can ran both hands over his face in frustration, pulling at his beard and fidgeting in his chair. He didn’t know what to say.   
And at the same time, he knew exactly what to say!  
He was both frustrated and angry, but he wasn’t entirely sure why. Somehow, he just felt like Denise had blind-sided him, and gone behind his back. And he felt slightly violated by the whole process that had apparently gone before this meeting without his knowledge.   
Denise was silently studying him while he digested the information.  
“Look Can,” she said, once more placing a hand on his arm.   
“Why don’t you take a little time to think it over? I know you’re not happy with me right now, and I probably could have handled this better,” she gave him a small self-deprecating smile.   
“I know this would be a big change for you. Something you haven’t thought of doing before. But it’s also a big opportunity for you. You’d have full control over where the segments were to be shot, the content, a big budget for production, travel expenses all covered… it’s basically your dream job Can, only instead of writing you’d be doing a show. Don’t turn it down just to spite me. Take a little time and think it through. Please.”   
He looked at her for a long moment, thinking how strange it was that someone, he’d known for so long, someone, he considered a friend, could seem so out of sync with him all of a sudden.   
“Look, Denise,” he said with a sigh.  
“I don’t want to string you along. I don’t need to think about it, I don’t want the job. It’s that simple. I told you I wanted to quit freelancing, but I never told you why.”   
He took a deep breath.   
“The thing is, it’s not the freelancing-part that’s the problem. It’s the travelling.”  
A look of surprise flickered over Denise’s face.  
“My dad isn’t well, Denise, and before you say anything…I know he and I haven’t had the best relationship over the years. But I don’t want to be half way around the world if he suddenly takes a turn for the worse and my family needs me. I need to be closer to New York, closer to my family and not constantly on the move. So…this job? It sounds like a good deal, absolutely. And maybe six months ago I would have been interested, but now…no.”  
Denise looked at him speculatively for a moment.  
He could tell she wasn’t buying it, and that her razor-sharp mind was trying to figure out which buttons to push.   
“Okay,” she said. “I see you’re determined. But Can, you know me. I’m stubborn too.” She smiled conspiratorially at him.   
“I’m noting your refusal…for now. But I hope you’ll think on it a bit more, Can. I’m going to stick around for a few days. I’ll email you the details of the offer and if you have any questions, I’ll be at the inn. And you have my number.”  
Denise stood up and picked up her purse.  
“Do us both a favor and don’t be your usual bull-headed self,” she said smiling fondly down at him. Then she bent down and quickly kissed him on the cheek, before leaving.

***

Can was quietly fuming, as he drove, fast and focused, along the winding coastal road, replaying the conversation in his head.  
Denise’s offer had triggered a bunch of unwelcome thoughts and emotions. He felt torn and confused, not to mention a whole lot of resentment towards Denise.   
How was it that his lovely freedom-filled lifestyle had suddenly twisted itself into so many complicated knots?   
He had always prided himself of staying free of the usual demands of a 9-5 job and annoying social obligations. After he quit the family business for good, freelance journalism had seemed a no brainer, combining complete authority over his own life with the ability to do what he did best, while avoiding the networking and social events that his family had always felt was so important.   
For years, he had sacrificed personal relationships for the freedom that he craved.   
And for the most part he’d been happy with the bargain.  
But this past year he’d started pulling away from the constant travelling, the lonely life on the road.   
He’d recognized the need to put down roots.   
Maybe even find someone to share his life with.   
And then Sanem had - literally - fallen into his arms on a crowded ferry, and all at once the free-spirited, constantly on-the-go lifestyle just hadn’t held any appeal for him whatsoever.  
He’d thought he’d made that clear to Denise over the phone.   
And yet, here she was, pushing him to take a deal that not only wasn’t close to freelancing, but would also involve constant travelling. The job would pretty much have him as tied down as any desk-job, and he’d still be a wandering, lone wolf.  
Damn Denise! Damn her for not taking no for an answer.   
And damn her especially for putting that spin on the whole deal!  
Can clenched his teeth and gripped the wheel harder.   
It wasn’t that he doubted that her company was struggling. They all had been.   
But that was nothing new.   
He knew that his own family’s business had had to adjust to a world of ebooks, electronic reader libraries, and online self-publishing. But they’d carved out their niche in the changing world of books, embracing the new possibilities. And he knew perfectly well that the company Denise was working for, had done the same.   
So, for her to threaten with layoffs if he didn’t play ball…it just pissed him off!   
He had no doubt that there was some truth to her story, but he seriously doubted that his involvement with this tv-show was going to make any significant difference.   
No, he strongly suspected she’d used that particular argument because she knew his soft spots only too well.   
He grumbled to himself as he shifted gear for a steep up-hill stretch.   
Her strategy might even have worked, he silently acknowledged, but she’d miscalculated.  
She hadn’t taken into account the things that weighed against him doing this job.  
And right now, they weighed heavily for him.   
His family.   
His dad’s health.   
His sister.   
They all needed him around, and even if he had no intention of stepping into the family business he still wanted to be around and help out.   
And now there was Sanem…  
He glanced at her, instantly feeling better at the sight of her.   
She was looking out the window, her hair blowing gently in the breeze coming in the open window.   
God, she was beautiful!   
And also, uncharacteristically quiet, he realized with a frown.   
He might have thought she’d fallen asleep if it wasn’t for the way her fingers kept twisting the hem of her t-shirt into a knot.   
His heart did a funny little squeeze and he wanted to reach out and take that fidgeting hand in his.   
She was probably just giving him space to process, he decided.   
He knew she was itching to know what had happened at his meeting, but he’d been too preoccupied - quite frankly too angry with Denise - to try and explain right away.   
Sanem seemed to have sensed his mood and had kept quietly by his side as they walked to the car.  
Now, he felt a stab of guilt for shutting her out like this, but he’d needed to calm down first and figure out how to get Denise to lay off.   
He would make it up to her, he promised himself as he pulled up in front of the house.   
Soon!  
But Sanem had her seatbelt off and was halfway out the car almost before he had turned off the engine.  
“Wait, Sanem!” he called after her, but she didn’t hear him.   
Or she pretended not to.   
He was out the car and in pursuit in two seconds flat, catching up with her before she’d even made it past his front porch.   
“Sanem!” he said, catching her with one arm around her waist, spinning her around to face him.  
A soft gasp escaped her as he pulled her close against him. She didn’t struggle to get free. Her body seemed to mold itself willingly to his, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes.  
He pushed a lock of hair off her face, willing her to look at him.  
“Sanem,” he repeated softly.   
“Don’t run away from me,” he mumbled. “Please.”  
Slowly she looked up, meeting his eyes.   
She looked…guarded, he realized. Like she was putting up all her walls again, trying to keep him out.   
“Sanem, don’t…” he started to say, but then it dawned on him that he’d been doing the same thing ever since they left the coffee shop.   
He’d been blocking her out while he tried to deal with his anger. He hadn’t told her anything but had let her make her own assumptions, and right now it looked like those assumptions were going in a very bad direction!   
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.  
“I didn’t mean to shut you out. I’m just not really used to having anyone to share my problems with,” he said with a sad chuckle.   
She nodded almost imperceptibly.  
“I want to tell you about it,” he said hopefully.   
“Will you listen?”  
This time her gaze was more direct.   
She looked at him thoughtfully.   
“Will you answer one question for me first?” she asked.  
“Sure, anything,” he said in relief.  
“Is Denise your ex-girlfriend?” she asked, looking him straight in the eye.


	24. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanem and Can both have a lot on their minds after the meeting with Denise - and at the same time their mutual attraction is getting harder to ignore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this part is a little dull - I just needed to set the stage so to speak.

“Is Denise your ex-girlfriend?”  
Sanem had a strange out-of-body sensation as she heard herself ask the question. She immediately wanted to slap a hand over her mouth to keep it from spilling out…but it was already out there.  
Why? she silently berated herself.  
Why did I have to go and ask that?   
Can’s possible history with the sultry editor was absolutely not the most important question right now…and she wasn’t even entirely sure she wanted to know the answer to her own question.  
But this was one of those instances where her photographic memory was anything but a blessing. It kept re-playing all those little moments on her inner movie screen over and over again…   
Denise leaning down to kiss his cheek.   
Denise’s hand rubbing his arm.   
Denise leaning across the table, giving him a very extensive view of her half-exposed attributes.   
Sanem squeezed her eyes shut as if that could keep the images from coming.  
Okay yeah, she actually did want to know what the deal was between him and Denise, she grudgingly admitted.   
But she hadn’t meant to lead with that!  
It was just that the two of them had seemed so comfortable with each other. There was a familiarity there that clearly went beyond a normal editor/writer-relationship, and she couldn’t help feeling a little like the naïve and clueless girl that had developed a crush on the hottest guy in school while everyone was laughing at her behind her back.   
There was obviously history there.   
And he’d never said a thing.   
Sanem straightened her back and looked him in the eye, waiting for his answer.  
“What?” he was spluttering. “God no! Denise is NOT my ex-girlfriend. Never! Is that what you think? No, no, no!”  
Sanem was suddenly glad that she asked after all. His emphatic denial was making her feel a little bit better about the whole thing.   
But her question had made him look a little wild around the eyes, she noticed.  
“Sanem,” he said, leaning his forehead against hers. “Please believe me. There is not, and there never has been anything between me and her. Yes, we have known each other for a long time. We’re old friends from university, but only ever friends.” He emphasized the last word looking deep into her eyes, as if willing her to feel the truth of his words.   
“I know she comes off a little…handsy at times…”  
Sanem couldn’t help the derisive snort that interrupted his explanation.   
“Okay, a lot,” he agreed with a crooked smile.   
“But I don’t even notice it anymore,” he shrugged. “She’s always been like that, and she’s like that with everybody. At one point I think she probably was coming on to me…years ago!...” he quickly stressed, as he felt her stiffen in his arms.   
“But when I turned her down, she never repeated it. And then later we started working together so…we’ve been sort of work-friends for years now.”  
“Okay,” she said.  
“I mean, we’re not even that close,” he continued. “We’re just former college-buddies, you know?”  
“Can, it’s okay…” she said, trying to stem the flow of words.  
“Back then there was a whole group of us, and she wasn’t my close friend or anything. I couldn’t even think of having that kind of rela…”  
“Can!” she interrupted a little louder.  
“Mmm…?” he said  
“You can stop now,” she said. “I get it. You have no romantic past with Denise. Got it!”  
She couldn’t help smiling at his need to keep reassuring her.  
He searched her face for a long moment. Then he visibly relaxed, letting out a big puff of air and losing the tension in his shoulders.   
“Okay,” he said, returning her smile.  
Sanem suddenly became very aware that he hadn’t loosened his hold on her while they’d talked. His arms were still tightly circling her waist, holding her close.   
And she hadn’t made a move to put distance between them either. In fact, she was leaning on him, both hands resting comfortably on his chest.  
She’d meant to keep a safe distance until she knew where they stood – and not just in regard to the ‘old friend’.   
But her own body always seemed to betray her where Can was concerned.   
When he held her close like this, she just kind of melted into him and couldn’t think straight. It was like a drug or something and it was really inconvenient when she wanted to concentrate and make rational decisions, she thought.  
‘And how was running away from him going to help you make a rational decision?’ her inner voice asked skeptically.   
“I wasn’t running away?” she mumbled slightly offended.  
“Sorry?” Can said, frowning in confusion.  
She just shook her head at him, mentally sticking her tongue out at her inner voice.  
But it did make a valid point, she reluctantly admitted.   
They needed to talk and running from him was going to accomplish anything.  
“Sanem?” he said. “Are you okay?”  
He lifted one hand to cup her face, his thumb rubbing small circles on her skin.   
She took a deep breath and stepped back out of his hold, making him drop his arm.  
“I’m fine,” she said. “I think I was just a little hurt that you kept this slightly-more-than-coworkers-relationship with Denise a secret, and then having to watch that woman fawn all over you…it made me feel so stupid.” She shrugged.  
“Please don’t say that,” he said reaching for her. But she took another step back, determined to get her answers before he made her forget herself again.  
“I’m so sorry,” he said, sounding miserable. “I really never meant to keep anything from you. It just didn’t occur to me how it might look to you.”   
He ran a hand over his hair, and gave a frustrated sigh.  
“I can’t believe the trouble that woman is causing…” he mumbled.  
“Look,” he said. “Can we forget Denise for a minute please? She’s really not important,” he implored.  
“What happened in the coffee-shop…in the kitchen, I mean…” His eyes had suddenly turned to molten lava and his voice had gotten all husky. “That’s what matters,” he said looking at her intently.  
Sanem had to swallow hard and could only nod as she lost herself in his eyes.   
He was right of course, she told herself.   
He could have a hundred ex-girlfriends for all she knew. But as long as they were exes the only thing that should matter was what they had here and now, right?  
Besides, she believed him when he said Denise wasn’t even an ex.   
‘Then why are you still feeling so uneasy about her?’ the voice in the back of her head asked, expertly putting a finger on her most tender spot.  
“I’m not sure…” she muttered under her breath.  
“What?” he asked, giving her an uncertain look.  
“Huh…? Oh, sorry, nothing,” she said, waving it away. “Just things going on in my head…” she mumbled distractedly.  
Sanem sighed and closed her eyes briefly.  
“Okay,” she said. “I would really like to forget about Denise, but first you promised to tell me about your meeting. What did she want to talk to you about? Did she offer you a job?”  
She took a shaky breath.   
“Are you leaving?” she asked, hating the slight catch in her voice.  
He studied her silently for a moment.  
“I told you, I’m not going anywhere,” he said with quiet determination.  
Then he reached his hand out to her again.  
“Come sit with me, and I’ll tell you all about it,” he said.

***

Sanem walked along the sun-dappled forest path, towards the spot that had become her favorite writing hide-out over the past couple of weeks. The path wound through the woods just behind the main house up to a small clearing on a higher elevation, that overlooked the bay below.  
She walked without really seeing where she was going, her feet following the familiar path without any conscious decision on her part.  
Her mind was busy going over what Can had told her about Denise’s offer.   
She was so lost in thought she didn’t feel her breathing getting more labored or the way the muscles in her thighs were burning as she climbed the last steep section of the path.   
At the top of the trail she automatically pushed through the foliage hanging over the opening of the path and entered the clearing.   
She walked slowly across the small meadow, not really seeing the abundance of tiny wildflowers, but subconsciously registering their soothing fragrance as she brushed by clusters of them, warming in the late afternoon sun.  
She reached the big old oak tree that grew close to the edge of the plateau. The tree was gnarled and crooked from years of being battered by the storms coming in off the Atlantic. But it had a perfect bowl-shaped hollow on the side that faced the bay, where the wide trunk split into two enormous roots that had been partially uncovered by erosion over the years. Sanem had claimed this spot as her writing spot. She could sit comfortably in the hollow between the two roots, her back resting against the trunk of the tree, warmed by the sun and hidden from view from anyone, who might happen to be hiking the trail.   
She plunked down on the dry grass growing around the base of the tree, shifting to get comfortable with her back against the tree. She rummaged through her small backpack and pulled out her battered old notebook and opened it to a fresh page.   
Through the thin fabric of her t-shirt the bark felt warm against her back from a full day of baking in the sun. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in the clean smell of ocean, mixed with the sweetness of sun-warmed grass and wildflowers. The only sound was the breeze rustling through the leaves and the distant sound of waves washing up on the shore far below.   
Sanem took a couple of deep breaths and opened her eyes.  
She nibbled on the end of her pen as she tried to organize the thoughts that were crowding her head.  
She wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about everything that had happened today.  
Can had told her about the job Denise wanted him to take, and he’d explained why he’d gotten so upset. The way Denise had tried to manipulate him, the way she wouldn’t take no for an answer, even going so far as to try and blackmail him.  
Sanem felt herself getting angry on his behalf over that last one, but then doubts started creeping in again.

“Do you think it’s true?” she asked him. “That the company will have to fire people if they don’t get this deal?”  
He shrugged and pulled her hand into his lap, making her lean into his shoulder.  
They were sitting side by side on the steps leading up to his front porch.   
“I don’t know,” he said, drawing random patterns with his index finger on the back of her hand. “Maybe. I mean I know they are struggling, and I’m sure this deal would make a big difference for them. But I don’t for a minute buy that the deal depends on me. I know they can easily get someone else to do it. I don’t know why Denise is so adamant it has to be me. There’s no way a deal like this is tied to one particular person. That would make no sense. This is business…” he’d trailed off speculatively.  
“So…what happens now?” she asked.  
“Well,” he said, seeming to shake off his bad mood like a duck shaking off water.   
“Denise can stew at the inn if she wants to, but it won’t do her any good. I already turned down the offer and I’m not changing my mind.” He smiled and leaned in to give her a quick peck on the cheek.   
“Besides, I have a group coming the day after tomorrow, so I’ll be off into the mountains. She’ll be gone in no time and we can go back to normal.”  
Can was trying to sound cool about it, but she could tell he wasn’t as unaffected as he tried to let on. He was tense and fidgety, and he seemed preoccupied. 

In the end she’d told him she needed to get a little work done, but really she just wanted to give him his space to sort through what happened. He’d agreed almost too readily, saying that he wanted to clear his head and blow off some steam, whatever that meant.   
She’d left him sitting on the steps, intending to escape to her cottage and burry herself in work.  
But somehow her feet had carried her past the cottage to the woods, and she’d ended up here instead.   
Sanem frowned and gazed out over the water.   
Something about the whole thing was just strange, she decided. Denise coming all the way out to the island was such a significant move. And the way she’d tried to pressure him into taking the job? It was just so…unprofessional. Not that she would put anything past that woman, but somehow she just didn’t think it was her normal style. Denise didn’t seem like someone who would have to resort to that kind of measure.   
No, something about this felt off.   
Or maybe she was seeing ghosts because a beautiful woman was coming on to her man, she thought briefly.   
‘Your man?’ her inner voice poked at her. ‘Maybe you need to worry more about staking that claim than about a job he’s already turned down?’  
“Oh, shut up!” she grumbled.   
But deep down she really did want to tell him about the epiphany she’d had earlier today.   
It was just that…she’d only just discovered it herself. She’d never been in love before and she needed to wrap her head around this before telling him. She felt so many things right now she hardly knew how to explain it to herself, so how could she possibly try and tell him? She felt deliriously happy, but also scared, vulnerable and very confused.   
She wanted to tell him, but even thinking about it felt like she was about to go bungee jumping…without the bungee!   
She knew he was fiercely protective of his freedom. He may have decided to give up the constant travelling, but she had her doubts as to whether or not he could really do that in the long run. It seemed like such an integral part of who he was.   
He might feel an obligation to stay put for now – for his family – but an obligation would eventually feel like a prison, and after a while it would only cause resentment…and in the end he would likely leave anyway.   
She’d known from the beginning that what they had started was a temporary thing. It had to be, given their opposite takes on life, their jobs, their families…   
So, for her to go and throw the L-word at him…it would just be another form of imprisonment for him. Wouldn’t it?   
Besides, things between them were really good as they were right now. Telling him would be like trying to fix something that wasn’t broken. Why risk it? He seemed perfectly happy, so why rock the boat?   
Right?  
‘Wrong,’ her inner voice butted in. ‘If you don’t tell him, and he leaves…won’t you just be wondering ‘what if’…? These things need to be said out loud. Not just implied. Besides, he did just call you his girlfriend. Surely that means something?’  
“He did do that…” she mumbled with a dreamy smile on her face.  
But then her smile faltered.   
Lots of people had boyfriends and girlfriends without actually being in love. Sometimes they just liked each other. Sometimes it was just a physical relationship. Sometimes it seemed to be nothing more than convenience or just plain boredom that made people stick that label on each other. And he’d never said anything about love…  
All it really indicated was that they were sort of exclusively dating, she thought, biting her lip in concentration.   
God, why was this so hard? Wasn’t it supposed to be all hearts and flowers when you fell in love? Wasn’t love supposed to sweep you off your feet and make everything better?   
What was she missing? Was she somehow not doing it right?  
Maybe there really was something wrong with her...  
Sanem let out a frustrated moan and tapped her pen against her forehead a couple of times.   
Then she gritted her teeth and started writing. 

***  
She had been writing in circles for about half an hour when a rustling noise from the woods broke through her semi-trance.   
She twisted around to try and get a look at the trailhead, but her view was blocked by the tree.   
The sounds grew louder, and she tried to recall what Can had told her about wildlife on the island. Judging by the noise it was making, whatever kind of animal was coming this way must be pretty big. Maybe a deer?  
Sanem held her breath and waited, hoping to get a glimpse of one of the beautiful but skittish animals.  
More sounds carried on the wind now. Crunching gravel, snapping twigs and the pounding of big feet on packed dirt.   
No deer would make that kind of racket, she realized.   
These sounds were distinctly human.   
Sanem quickly scooted back into the hollow of the tree, hoping that whoever was coming this way would just follow the trail across the small clearing and back into the woods, and that she could go unnoticed.  
There was as final rustling of leaves as someone pushed through the overhanging foliage and into the clearing. The pounding gradually slowed and then stopped completely. The only sound was the heavy breathing of whoever had been crazy enough to run up the steep trail.   
Knowing how out of breath she always was from just walking up that path, running seemed like it would require a superhuman effort.   
She almost wanted to take a peek around the trunk of the tree, just to make sure the runner wasn’t going to need CPR.   
She was trying to decide what to do, when she realized the clearing had gone eerily quiet. There were no sounds at all. No heavy breathing. No rustling of the dry grass, no pounding feet.   
Maybe the runner had already moved on?  
She took a deep breath and slowly got to her feet. She steadied herself with a hand on the rough bark of the tree trunk and leaned around the tree to get a better view of the clearing.  
At first she thought the runner was gone.   
Then she saw movement in the grass, and the back of Can’s head appeared.   
He was on the ground in the middle of the clearing, almost hidden in the tall grass, doing some kind of exercise.   
Push-ups, she thought, as the back of his head and one bulging shoulders came up out of the grass-cover once more.   
Was he doing push-ups one-handed?   
Sanem tilted her head as she studied the grueling workout he was putting himself through.  
He shifted to the other hand and continued, seemingly unaware of her presence.  
His hair was dark and damp with sweat and his sleeveless workout top had a large dark patch between his shoulder blades and all the way down to his lower back.  
It looked like he had been pushing himself hard.  
He still was, she corrected herself, as she watched him stand up and walk over to a nearby tree and start doing handstand push-ups against the trunk. His t-shirt gave way to gravity and fell down his torso, revealing toned abs and skin that glistened in the golden light of the setting sun.   
She had the vague notion that she should probably let him know she was there, but she seemed to have lost command of both her body and her ability to speak.  
Her mouth had gone dry and she was breathing unevenly as she kept watching him, half hidden behind her tree.  
Can dropped back down to his feet, letting his t-shirt fall back in place.   
Sanem almost groaned in disappointment.   
But he wasn’t done yet.   
He jumped up and latched onto a sturdy branch well above his head, and started doing pull-ups. His massive biceps were bulging and flexing with the strain, and he was making grunting noises now, as the workout got more and more intense.   
Sanem had no idea how long she stood there watching him punish his body.  
When he finally stopped, he walked to the middle of the clearing and leaned over, resting his hands on his knees, breathing hard and dripping with sweat.   
She knew she had to let him know she was there, but just as she was about to step out into the open, he stood up straight, grabbed the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head.  
It was like time slowed down and she watched him strip off that sweat-drenched shirt in slow-motion. He pulled it off his body, one inch at a time, uncovering rippling muscles, and the ridges of his abs. His pecs jumped as he freed himself of the damp fabric and tossed the t-shirt aside in the long dry grass, running his hands over his face and back over his hair. He rolled his head a few times as if to loosen the tight muscles in his shoulders. His eyes were closed. A glossy sheen of sweat covered his entire upper body, and a few tendrils of hair had come loose and stuck to the side of his neck.   
The tattoo on his chest stood out in dark contrast to his golden skin and she had the crazy urge to touch it. To run her fingers over the design, too kiss and lick her way around the inked skin. Without thinking she squeezed her thighs together and licked her lips. She was suddenly uncomfortably hot, but at the same time filled with a new buzzing energy, that demanded an outlet.  
Can had dropped his hands down, and just stood there breathing in and out, head thrown back, eyes closed, chest heaving.  
A small whimper escaped her.  
Can’s head snapped back up. His eyes flew open and zeroed in on her immediately.  
Sanem felt like a deer caught in the headlights and she froze.  
But the sudden eye contact also snapped her out of the trance that she seemed to have entered into.   
What the heck…She squeezed her eyes tightly shut for a moment.   
What was wrong with her? She was basically stalking her boyfriend, watching him undress like a complete creeper and salivating over his - undeniably - hot body.   
She experimentally peeled one eye open, just to check that he was actually there, and that it had really happened.  
Yup. He was there. And God, he was beautiful.   
She opened both eyes again and took him in.   
He was like a perfect statue come to life.   
It wasn’t even the first time she saw him shirtless but somehow it was different this time.   
‘Maybe because in your mind you’re already touching him,’ her inner voice whispered.  
“Sanem?” he said, making her jump.   
“Hmmm…” was all she could muster.  
“Are you all right?” he asked, casually strolling towards her.  
She tried to get her brain and mouth to work together but the connection seemed to have been lost.  
He stopped right in front of her, a look of concern on his face.   
His overheated body was actually steaming in the rapidly cooling air, she noticed, making him look even less real as he towered over her.  
Sanem swallowed hard, fighting every instinct that screamed at her to reach out and touch him.  
“I didn’t know anyone was up here,” he continued.   
Then he noticed her small backpack leaning against the tree and the notebook laying discarded, facedown in the grass.  
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said. “Did I interrupt your writing?”  
“Huh?” she said staring at his chest.  
“You were writing?” he repeated.  
“No.” she said. “I mean, yes. I mean…It wasn’t going well,” she stammered.  
She couldn’t bring herself to look at his face, so she kept talking to his chest.  
He chuckled softly.  
“Okay,” he said.  
“Well, I’ll leave so you can get back to it,” he said.  
“No!” the word was out of her mouth before she could even think it.  
“You want me to stay?” he said, sounding slightly amused.  
“No? I mean yes!”   
Ah, Sanem! Get a grip! You’re acting like a complete lunatic.   
“Do you want me to stay? Or do you want me to go?” he asked, sounding a little confused.  
“I just want you!” she mumbled, finally lifting her eyes to his face, still pretty dazed from the sensory overload his half-naked body was causing.  
“What?” he said, a smile tugging at his lips.  
“I mean, stay! I want you to stay,” she said in her normal voice, feeling herself blush furiously.  
‘Ah, Sanem!’ she thought. ‘You really said that out loud? Talk about sending mixed signals!’  
“Okay,” he said easily. But he quickly bent down and fiddled with his shoelaces as if to hide a smile.   
‘God, I hope he didn’t hear that,’ she prayed fervently  
But when he looked up again, his eyes were dancing with mirth and he suddenly looked way too pleased with himself she thought. 

***  
The sun was setting fast now, casting long shadows across the meadow, and turning the woods dark.  
“We should probably both be heading back,” he said with a frown at the sky.   
“It’ll be dark soon and the trail can be a little tricky. I don’t want you to fall…I mean, it’s easy to trip over something in the dark,” he said.  
She didn’t bother feeling offended by his assumption that she would be the one to stumble. In all likelihood he was right about that. Besides, there was no point in staying up here after dark.  
So, she stuffed her notebook in the backpack and slung it over her shoulder, ready to leave.  
Can had picked up his t-shirt, but hadn’t put it back on.   
He just draped it over his shoulder.  
“Ready?” he said, holding out his hand to her.  
“Ready,” she said placing her hand in his.  
He easily laced his fingers through hers, and started off towards the darkening woods.   
As soon as they entered the trees she was glad to have his hand for support. It was already a lot darker in here and the trail was uneven and overgrown in places. Can walked slightly in front of her on the narrow trail but kept a firm grip on her hand. She could feel the heat coming off his body and whenever she got a little too close she could smell him too. It was a heady scent of warm skin, clean sweat and his special citrus and pine scent mixed with something woodsy and musky. She leaned a little closer to get another whiff of him and for a crazy second she wondered what he’d taste like. His naked back was right in front of her. It would be so easy to…  
‘Get a grip Sanem’, she thought pulling herself back. ‘You can’t just go around licking people! He’ll think you’ve lost it completely.’   
As they got further down the trail the trees closed in, obscuring the light from the evening sky even more. It was almost completely dark by the time they reached the end of the trail.   
Sanem had been inching closer to Can as it got darker. Not because she was scared of the dark, but somehow the darkness seemed to create a bubble around them, suspending time and place and making the closeness feel like less of an invasion of personal space.   
She was walking along in a kind of blissful vacuum, only aware of his hand in hers, his body-heat like a warm wall in front of her and his scent wafting back at her every few steps. But as they reached the end of the trail Can suddenly stopped. Sanem didn’t have time to catch herself and she walked face-first into him.   
“Ouch!” she mumbled as her nose connected with his shoulder blade.  
“Are you okay?” he said, turning around to steady her.   
“I’m fine,” she said, glad that it was too dark for him to see her cheeks flush with embarrassment.  
“Why did you stop?”   
His soft laughter rumbled through his body, alerting her to the fact that she was actually leaning on his naked chest. Part of her brain perked up at the realization that she was finally touching him. Feeling his warm, firm, muscles under her hands, touching his smooth skin with just that sprinkling of hair across his chest. She could feel his breath down the side of her neck and shivered involuntarily.   
“Are you cold?” he mumbled into her hair.  
“No, are you?” she said hazily.  
He laughed again and pulled her closer.  
“No, you’re keeping me warm,” he whispered softly, nuzzling her neck with his nose.  
But that’s when the other part of her brain kicked in, reminding her that he had only caught her because she was clumsy - not as invitation to make out. And also, that the poor man was probably freezing by now without a shirt on.   
He lifted his head and squinted at her through the gathering gloom.   
“But maybe we should get back to the house,” he said, as if he’d read her mind.   
“Yeah, of course,” she mumbled pushing off his chest.  
She saw a flash of white teeth as he smiled.   
Then he took her hand again and led her the last stretch of the path and out of the woods behind the house.  
It was easier to see once they were out in the open, and as the path widened, they were able to walk side by side.   
Can didn’t let go of her hand, though.  
She felt him glancing at her a couple of times, but kept her head down, suddenly feeling shy.  
They reached his front porch and he pulled to a stop.  
“I’m just going to take a quick shower,” he said, finally breaking the silence.   
“How about dinner after?” He sounded a little uncertain, she thought, as if he wasn’t sure that she’d want to spend the evening with him.  
“Are you offering to cook?” she asked teasingly.  
He laughed and pulled her into a side-hug.  
“If it buys me an evening with you? Anytime,” he said.  
“Well, hurry up then,” she said, giving him a playful push.   
“I’m hungry.”  
He made a low, growling sound and before she knew what was happening, he spun her around to face him, sliding his hands down her arms, and guiding them around his waist. Then he folded his arms around her, hugging her tight. She looked up at him and forgot to breathe when she saw the look in his eyes.   
“Me too,” he said huskily. And then he kissed her.   
He tasted fresh and a little salty, and she couldn’t help but run her tongue over his bottom lip to get another taste of him. He groaned and sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, before releasing it and diving in for a deep kiss. She ran her hands up and down his naked back, relishing the feeling of his hard muscles under her fingers, and the warm, velvety smoothness of his skin. He had one hand firmly on her lower back, pulling her hips closer, while his other hand was cupping the back of her head. She wanted to kiss his chest and taste his skin, but he seemed to be having similar ideas, and was already trailing kisses across her cheek, and down the side of her neck. She moaned and let her head fall to the side giving him full access, as he nibbled and licked his way down to her collarbone.   
Sanem no longer cared that they were still outside. She didn’t feel the dropping temperature as night settled. She forgot about her empty belly, as every nerve-ending in her body seemed to tune in and send her chasing a different kind of satisfaction.   
She ran a hand over his chest, and down his body, tracing her fingers over the ridges of his abs, all the way down to the v-shaped indentation by his hipbone until it disappeared under the waistband of his trackpants. She noticed his sharp intake of air as her fingers lingered there and she experimentally ran her fingertips along the waistband from one hipbone to the other.   
“Sanem…” he moaned, pulling her hips sharply into his body, as his tongue pushed into her mouth.   
The unwelcome sound of a phone ringing slowly brought her back to reality. But Can just shook his head briefly and kept kissing her.  
The call went to voice mail and a few seconds later a loud ping announced an incoming message.   
Can groaned in protest as she tried to end the kiss, but then the phone started ringing again.   
He finally pulled his mouth from hers, leaning his forehead against hers as they both tried to get their breathing under control.   
“Why does this keep happening,” he grumbled.  
Sanem chuckled and ran her hands up and down his back.   
“Just check who it is,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere.”  
He pulled back and looked into her eyes.  
“You better not,” he said. Then he sighed and reached for his phone.  
“Huh,” he mumbled. “It’s my sister. Seems I’ve missed about 12 calls from her over the past hour.”  
He frowned and stared at the final message. Sanem glanced down at the phone in his hand and saw the two words lit up on the small screen followed by three exclamation marks.  
“Call me!!!”


	25. Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can is getting more and more confused about Denise - but at the same time, things are crystal clear when it comes to Sanem ;-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to cut this chapter a bit short, because the next part needs to be told from Sanem's point of view ;-)

Can was already punching in Derya’s number as he walked in the front door, willing her to pick up even before the phone had connected. All he could think about was that something must have happened with his dad. What else could be that urgent?

He stalked through the house as he listened to the first ring, silently chanting ‘pick up, pick up, pick up’.

He threw his wet t-shirt on top of the hamper and walked to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water out of the fridge.

He’d just twisted the cap off when Derya answered.

“What is that bitch up to?” she asked tersely, as if they were already mid-conversation.

“What? And hello to you too sis,” he said with a frown.

“Sorry, hi,” she said before launching back into a cryptic rant.

“Derya!” Can interrupted “You’re not making any sense. Could we just for a moment pretend that I’m not supposed to know what you’re talking about? Start from the top…please.”

He could hear his sister taking a deep breath and then she sighed.

“Sorry,” she said much more calmly. “My mind has been going in circles for the past hour and I’m going a little crazy here.”

“No kidding,” he mumbled, but immediately hoped she hadn’t heard him.

“So, what’s going on, sis?” he said. “Is something wrong with dad?”

“No, no, it’s nothing like that,” she said absentmindedly

Then it seemed to occur to her that her calls and messages might have given the wrong impression. 

“Oh! Oh, no, Can. I’m sorry if I had you worried. Dad’s fine. At least as fine as he was last time you saw him. Nothing new there,” she said contritely.

“Then what’s so urgent you had to call me 12 times and leave…” he checked his screen briefly. “5 messages?”

“The red-haired she-devil!” Derya spluttered.

“The red-hair…Oh! You mean Denise?” he asked feeling more confused by the minute. 

“Yes. Denise! Your groupie-editor, that’s who”

“Okay, calm down Derya,” he said with sigh. “First of all, she’s not my groupie. And second, what’s she done to get you so hopping mad?” 

Then something occurred to him. 

“And when did she do this?” he added.

“She’s been poking around, trying to get information about dad’s health, that’s what. She’s been harassing the hospital and his private physician all afternoon!” Derya spat.  
“What is she up to? Why is she looking into dad?” 

Can’s head was spinning as he tried to make sense of what Derya was saying.

“Whoa, hold on!” he said. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, regretting his words the minute they were out of his mouth.

“Of course I’m sure,” she yelled. “Luckily, dear old dad is so paranoid about anyone finding out about his health issues that he’s practically handing out NDA’s to anybody he’s in contact with these days. And of course the doctors would never talk, so she’s not gotten any information. Yet! But you know her. She’s the most tenacious, conniving, bi…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, she’s practically a criminal mastermind,” he said drily, interrupting her tirade. 

But his mind was going a hundred miles an hour trying to figure out what interest Denise could possibly have in his dad’s health. 

“You need to put a stop to this,” Derya was saying. “Dad doesn’t know yet, because the hospital called me first, but if she keeps it up, he’s bound to find out. And you know that’s not going to go over well.”

Can ran a hand over his face, silently cursing Denise for what felt like the hundredth time that day.   
What are you up to Denise? he thought, pulling at the beard on his chin, and staring unseeingly out into the dark behind his kitchen window.

“Talk to her, Can. Get her to back off,” Derya said. 

“And while you’re at it, could you please find out why she’s suddenly taking an interest? Oh, and also, could you maybe just get rid of her and find yourself another editor?” she added in a mocking little girl-voice. 

“I’ll talk to her, Derya,” he said quietly.

“Look, I know you have a soft spot for her, because she helped you out…back then,” Derya continued. “But she didn’t do that out of the goodness of her heart, and she has profited as much from your arrangement as you have – maybe more. So, don’t feel like you owe her or anything!” 

“I’ll talk to her, Derya,” he repeated, more firmly.

“Maybe I should just swing by her office myself and give her a piece of my mind?” Derya said, obviously not convinced that he was going to handle it.

“That won’t do you any good,” he said distractedly.

“Oh? And why is that? You don’t think I can go toe to toe with Ms. Man-eater?” his sister said.

“No, it’s not that,” he said. “She’s not in the city right now. She’s here.”

There was a long silence.

Can mentally slapped himself for letting that out. He could almost see the questions piling up in his sister’s head at that little tidbit of information.

“What did you say?” Derya finally said in a scarily quiet voice.

He sighed and leaned his elbows on the counter, spinning the water bottle between his hands. 

“She’s here,” he confirmed, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, preparing for the tide of questions to hit him.

“Oh my god, no!” Derya exclaimed. “Please say it isn’t so. You’re…you’re…with her?”

“What?” he blurted, standing up straight. “No! Of course I’m not with her!” 

He ran a hand over his head and took a deep breath.

“She’s not here here, Derya,” he said trying to stay calm.

“She’s not at the house. What I meant to say is that she’s on the island. She came to pitch me a new job and for some reason thought she had to do it in person this time. That’s all.”

Derya made a non-committal sound but let him talk.

“I’m not with her! How many times do I have to tell you, we don’t have that kind of relationship? I’m not into her. Never have been.” He shook his head in frustration.

“I mean, come on! Why does everybody think there’s something between me and Denise?” 

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because she’s never made it a secret that she wants you? Or that she sees you as her own personal golden goose and takes every opportunity to stake a claim? And maybe because you’ve never made an effort to refute that claim?” Derya said drily. 

“It’s just the way she is!” he said in exasperation.

“God, I feel like I already had this conversation today,” he mumbled. 

“Oh good! Someone else is calling you on it too?” Derya chuckled.

“Yeah,” he said a little sheepishly. 

He hadn’t meant for her to hear that. His sister had an annoyingly fine-tuned radar when it came to his emotional state. 

“Wait a minute…” she said slowly, right on cue. 

Can rolled his eyes.

‘Here were go,’ he thought. 

“Someone else is bothered by your relationship with Denise?” Derya mused. 

He could tell almost the exact moment she made the connection. 

“Who is she?” she asked eagerly.

Yup, there it was.

“There’s someone, isn’t there?” she asked, suddenly sounding all girly and giggly.

“Are you seeing someone? Who? How? When?”

He was sure she was actually jumping up and down in excitement now, and he couldn’t help laughing.

“Actually, you’re right. There is someone,” he said, feeling his face split in a big, silly grin. 

“Someone who’s the complete opposite of Denise in every way,” he added.

“Yes!” Derya whisper-yelled, no doubt punching her fist in the air.

“Tell me!” she demanded. “I want to know all about her. What’s her name? How long have you known her? Where did you meet? What’s she like?”

“Whoa! Slow down, sis,” he laughed. 

“Her name is Sanem, and…she’s…I don’t even know where to start. She’s…amazing, sis,” he said quietly.

Derya made a soft oohing sound.

“Wow! My big brother is in love!” she sighed happily.

Can felt his stomach clench and a warm glow started spreading from his chest at her words. 

“Yeah,” he said, suddenly feeling a little shy.

“Yeah, I think I am.” 

Derya squealed so loud he had to hold the phone away for a minute.

“Derya! Calm down,” he said with a hint of exasperated laughter.

“Fine, just tell me about her. This mystery woman who has managed the impossible,” she said.

“And tell me, when do I get to meet her?”

***

It took him another fifteen minutes to satisfy his sister’s curiosity enough to get her off the phone. Thankfully, the news of a woman in his life – a woman who was not Denise – had managed to distract her from her anger towards his editor. 

And by the time he disconnected, he realized that the conversation had calmed him down too, to a point where he was no longer about to jump into the car and race back to town to confront Denise.

He still wanted answers - and he was determined to get them. 

But Denise wasn’t going anywhere tonight, so that particular confrontation could wait till tomorrow, he decided. 

Cooking dinner for Sanem, however, couldn’t! 

He smiled to himself as he imagined her pacing impatiently, waiting for news…and for dinner. Even on the best of days, he knew she’d worry and speculate about Derya’s call. But add to that an empty belly and you could be sure to have one unpredictable and volatile female on your hands!   
With that in mind, Can decided to forgo the long, hot shower he had been hoping for, to loosen up his stiff muscles and calm his mind before heading to the cottage. He was just going to do a quick soap-and-rinse, to make up for the time he’d spent chatting to Derya. 

But as soon as he got in the shower, his body betrayed him. He hadn’t realized how cold he’d gotten on the walk back and standing around shirtless while talking to his sister.   
Now, the hot water was like a drug to his chilled skin. He felt his breathing slow down as his body soaked up as much heat as possible. Steam soon enveloped him in a soothing cocoon of warm, fragrant fog. He closed his eyes and let the water pound the top of his head, feeling his body relax, while his mind gave him a leisurely play by play of the events of the day.

It had been one hell of a rollercoaster, he thought.

Denise sure had a way of stirring up trouble. In just one day she’d managed not only to get into a confrontation with Sanem, she’d also made an almost indecent proposal to him, and on top of that he kept circling back to what Derya had told him. 

Why on earth would Denise want to look into his father’s health? He couldn’t even begin to think of an explanation for what that was about. And it just made him even more certain that he still had no idea what her agenda really was, in coming to the island. 

But on the upside, her scheming actually seemed to be propelling him and Sanem closer together. 

He lifted his face to the spray, running his fingers through his beard and down his throat. 

Granted, there had been some rocky moments during the day, and he wasn’t totally confident that Sanem was okay now. She still seemed inclined to believe that he might take the job and leave, but he was just going to have to convince her that he was serious about changing his life. 

And even though she seemed worried about the job-offer, she’d still responded to him in a way that made him want to pound his chest and shout out his happiness to the world. 

He smiled into the water cascading over his face, reliving the kiss that had been cut short by Derya’s call. 

And suddenly he was in a hurry to be with her again.

Resolutely, he turned off the water and reached for a towel. 

It had been almost an hour since she’d gone back to the cottage, and he had a pretty good idea what was going on in that beautiful head of hers by now. 

Concern for his dad, no doubt. 

Worry about Denise’s plans, most likely. 

Fear that he might leave…

Yeah, he was only too aware that any number of things could cause his skittish girlfriend to run scared and start pulling away from him again. 

Her defense mechanisms were quite impressive he had to admit. Even harder to break down than his own had been. But somehow, she had managed to worm her way through his walls, and he had absolutely no desire to put them back up where she was concerned. 

He tied the towel around his hips and wiped a hand over the foggy mirror. His own dripping reflection stared back at him, with a big, sappy smile that he hardly recognized as his own. 

Derya was right. 

Sanem had performed a bit of a miracle. 

He was a changed man and even more miraculously, he was perfectly happy with the change. 

Now he just needed to perform a similar miracle and get her to fully trust him. 

Can unhooked the towel and quickly ran it over his body. He gave his hair a halfhearted rub-down and threw the towel on top of the sweaty t-shirt he’d discarded on the hamper earlier. Stark naked, he walked down the hall to his bedroom. 

He pulled on a pair of jeans and a soft black hoodie and smoothed his still wet hair back into a half-bun to keep it off his face.

Admitting out loud to his sister that he’d fallen in love with Sanem had been a revelation, he thought. It wasn’t that the thought hadn’t occurred to him over the past weeks. He’d known for a while now that he was in love with her. It was just that…actually saying it out loud kind of made it feel real in a totally different way. 

He grinned to himself as he sat on the bed to put on his sneakers.

In fact, telling Derya about Sanem had somehow made him fall in love all over again, he realized. 

He suddenly had a whole new appreciation for all the grand romantic gestures portrayed in literature and movies. He wanted to declare his love, to serenade her, to sweep her off her feet…literally. He actually wanted to shout it from the rooftops. 

Can chuckled and shook his head at his own crazy thoughts. 

He had a feeling she wasn’t quite ready to hear declarations of love just yet. She was most likely going to slam the door in his face if he tried to serenade her, and he very much doubted that she’d appreciate any shouting from rooftops. 

But the part about sweeping her off her feet seemed doable. And kind of fun, he thought with a grin. He was almost certain he could get away with that…even if he didn’t outright declare his love just yet. 

And just like that, he simply couldn’t wait a minute longer to see her again.

He grabbed his phone off the bed and hurried back down the hall to the kitchen. He blitzed through the cupboards, randomly grabbing ingredients and tossing them in a box, hoping that they could somehow be turned into a meal. 

And then he was out the door. 

***

Can smiled into the darkness as he hurried towards the cottage, the box of food-items safely tucked under one arm. 

The lights spilling from the windows were like a beacon calling to him, and his heart skipped a beat as he saw her shadow pass by the window.

He ran up the steps to her front porch, and gave a quick knock before walking right in. 

“Sanem?” he called out, as he dumped the box of food on the small table in the hall and kicked off his shoes. 

“In here.” 

Her muffled voice came from the direction of the living room. 

He paused in the doorway and had to choke back a laugh at the sight that met him. 

She had clearly been hungrier than he thought.

She was sitting cross legged on the rug in front of the fireplace, with a big bowl of popcorn in front her. As he leaned on the door jamb, she was greedily stuffing another handful in her mouth.

She looked up and saw him watching her. He couldn’t help grinning at her ‘caught-with-a-hand-in-the-cookie-jar’-look, as she quickly shoved the last of the handful in her mouth, chewed and swallowed hard. 

“Hi,” she mumbled sheepishly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Hi yourself,” he chuckled.

“I…err...I was hungry,” she said with a shrug, indicating the popcorn.

She pushed to her feet and nervously smoothed her palms down her denim-clad thighs.

“So?” she asked. “Is everything okay back home?” 

“Yeah, my family is fine,” he said pushing off the door jamb and strolling towards her.   
“Derya was just freaking out about this weird thing with Denise,” he said lightly, as he stopped right in front her, and raised a hand to cup her cheek. 

“What?” she yelped, her eyes widening in shock.

“Now, don’t freak out,” he said placing both hands on her shoulders.

“Nothing bad has happened. It’s just a little bit strange that’s all. I’m going to figure all of this out, okay?” He lowered his head to catch her eyes.

“I don’t know,” she said slowly. “Why don’t you tell me what happened, and I’ll decide.”

He looked into her eyes for a moment longer. Then he nodded.

“Fair enough,” he said. Then he took hold of her hand and led her to the couch. 

What he really wanted to do was to pull her into his arms and hold her tight. But he also really needed to see her face while he told her about Derya’s call. So, he settled for holding her hand while they talked. 

They sat facing each other. She tucked her legs under her and laced her fingers through his while he told her about his conversation he’d had with his sister.

When he finished telling her about Denise’s attempt to get information about his dad, Sanem was silent, clearly trying to make sense of what he’d told her. 

He let her mull it over for a while, patiently rubbing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. 

She was so cute when she concentrated like this, he thought distractedly. The little dimple-like dent that appeared between her eyebrows was just begging to be kissed, and the way she kept biting that plump bottom lip of hers was driving him crazy. He licked his lips and stared at it. He wanted to suck that lip into his mouth and kiss it better. 

His eyes lingered on her mouth. 

He wondered if she would taste salty from the popcorn, and without thinking, he lifted a hand and slowly wiped his thumb over her bottom lip.

Sanem gasped at his touch and her eyes flew to his. 

He stared into her eyes, slowly bringing his thumb to his own lips and sucking it into his mouth. 

“Salty,” he murmured.

Sanem made a soft sound, her lips parted slightly, and her eyes dropped to his mouth. 

Slowly, he leaned in and nibbled experimentally at her bottom lip. 

She sighed and leaned forward, resting her hands on his thighs as she let him lick the salt of her lips. 

His tongue pushed gently into her mouth and she met him with a slow lick of her own. 

Can felt like he was falling endlessly into a soft, pillowy bed as they continued to lazily explore each other’s mouths with slow licks, sucks and nibbles. He lost himself completely in the smooth glide of her lips against his, the teasing of her tongue, and the startled little sound she made in the back of her throat when he gently bit her fleshy bottom lip. 

He was vaguely aware that they were still sitting on the couch, both of them fully clothed, but he had the strangest feeling, like they were making love with their lips. There were no hands caressing, no groping, no hair being pulled, no arms tightening their hold. It was all lips, tongues and teeth. It was soft, slow and gentle kissing, but at the same time he was shocked to find it the most naked, seductive and erotic experience he’d ever had.

They pulled apart after what could have been minutes or hours. He had no idea, and he honestly didn’t care. 

All he could do was stare at her, full of wonder. 

How was it possible to feel a kiss so deeply? So intensely? He’d never felt anything like it before. 

A slow smile pulled at her lips and she blinked up at him a couple of times. 

“Wow,” she said softly. 

“Yeah, wow,” he whispered, suddenly realizing that just like that, she’d managed to sweep him off his feet.


	26. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanem and Can are circling each other, trying to focus on them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you find yourself wondering at some point during this chapter ‘what was the point of that scene?’ the answer would probably be ‘there wasn’t one’. The thing is, sometimes I like to write out cute scenes that pop into my head even if they serve no real purpose in terms of the overall storyline. Normally I take them out before I publish, but sometimes one of them will stick with me and I wind up leaving it in. Just know, it’s all about me indulging my own fantasies . I probably should cut those parts because they really only clutter up the story, but this is my fun-time so sometimes I’ll leave it in. And this chapter has a big chunk of pointless cuteness – which is also why it ran a bit long. Don’t read anything into it – it’s just me playing with the characters. Anyway, that’s the reason…in case anyone was wondering.

Sanem was having a hard time stringing words together.   
She felt like the inside of her head had been all jumbled up by that kiss.   
The most earthshattering, toe-curlingly amazing kiss, she thought dreamily.   
She’d never known kissing could be like that. That it could shake you to your core and turn you inside out in the most wonderful way. She felt like they had shared a connection that went so much deeper than just the touching of their lips. It was like he had invaded her entire body in a way that she wouldn’t have thought possible.   
And it had left her wanting more, she realized, feeling an unfamiliar flutter in her belly.   
Much more. 

A small sigh escaped her as she kept staring at him in awe.   
Luckily, Can seemed just as affected as she was, and he didn’t seem in a hurry to move or even speak. His eyes were locked on her face in wonder and he seemed like he was struggling to move on from the moment too.   
So…maybe they could just get back to the kissing? she thought longingly. She really wouldn’t mind trying that again.   
She licked her lips and watched his eyes drop to her mouth.  
Yeah, talk could definitely wait till later, she decided, and started leaning in for another kiss. 

And then her stomach growled.   
Loudly!

Sanem squeezed her eyes shut and silently cursed her body’s untimely interruption.   
But it was too late. The sound had already jolted Can into action.

“I brought food,” he said. His voice sounded rough and he looked a little flustered, like he’d just woken up from a dream.   
“No! No, don’t go,” she protested, placing a hand on his arm as he made a move to get up.   
“I’m really not that hungry,” she assured him.

But her words were immediately put to shame by another loud gurgling from her stomach.

“Ah! Sanem! Way to ruin the mood,” she mumbled to herself.

Can just laughed and playfully ruffled her hair. Then he pushed off the couch to go in search of the box of food he’d brought over.  
Sanem watched ruefully as he left the room. 

‘Ugh! So typical’, she thought petulantly, punching the cushion that Can had just vacated. She just had to go and ruin the moment with something so mundane!   
Of course, Can was right in assuming she’d get cranky without food.   
Normally.   
But right now? If she had to choose between a full belly and more of that kissing? She’d choose the kissing!   
“In a heartbeat!” she muttered, touching a finger to her still tingling lips. 

Moments later he appeared again, this time carrying a cardboard box with what she assumed were ingredients for their dinner.  
“Keep me company?” he asked with a boyish smile, nodding towards the kitchen.  
He didn’t wait for an answer but simply turned on his heel and disappeared.

With a resigned sigh Sanem got up and followed him. 

If she couldn’t kiss him at least she could watch him cook, she reasoned. She would never admit to it of course, but there was just something incredibly hot about the effortless and competent way he moved around a kitchen. Sanem smiled and felt a blush creeping into her cheeks. 

Then she checked herself.   
“What is wrong with you, Sanem,” she chided herself. “He’s doing this really nice thing for you and all you can think about is how hot he looks doing it?”  
“Did you say something?” Can’s muffled voice drifted back to her from the kitchen.  
“No, nothing,” she called to him, blushing even deeper.   
“It’s probably just the hunger making me crazy,” she mumbled to herself as she hurried after him. 

***

Can had already pulled out pots, knife and a chopping board. The box of foodstuff sat untouched on the counter and Sanem idly drifted over to have a look at what was for dinner. One end of the box held an assortment of vegetables. She had to stand on her toes to look over the edge to get a look at the other end.  
Then she did a double take and a startled chuckle escaped her.  
She stared at the contents for a moment, trying to make sense of what she was looking at.  
“Can?” she asked, biting her cheek not to laugh.  
“Hmm?” he answered, his head deep in the fridge, looking for something.   
“Can, what exactly are you planning on making?” she asked. It came out as a stifled giggle as she tried to fight the laughter that bubbled up.  
“What?” he said turning around. “Oh, I don’t know yet. I’ll improvise,” he said with a shrug.  
“With this?” she asked doubtfully, indicating the box.  
“Yeees?” he said, drawing the word out like a question, clearly not understanding what she was getting at.   
“I see,” she said, speculatively.   
“And what kind of dish requires canned tuna, strawberry jam and…wow! Bleach?” she asked innocently.   
He turned around slowly, giving her a flat stare.  
Sanem had to look away to keep from laughing.  
“Oh, wait!” she said, clapping her hands in wide-eyed enthusiasm. “Is this like one of those challenges on cooking shows? You know, the kind where they give you three impossible ingredients like…celery, cheese and peanut butter and tell you to make a gourmet meal out of them?” she continued, fighting to keep a straight face.  
“But what would you do with the baking soda?” she wondered with a frown, holding up the small package for his inspection.  
He stalked over to the counter.   
“Let me see that,” he grumbled, taking the box out of her hands.  
He stared at the contents for a minute, a funny expression flitting across his face.   
“Huh!” he said sheepishly, one hand tugging at the beard on his chin.  
Sanem could no longer hold back the laughter as she watched his obvious confusion.  
He studiously ignored her and continued to stare at the bizarre collection of food items and cleaning products inside the box, as if they would somehow magically turn into the dinner ingredients he needed.   
But when he finally did look up, he had his poker face firmly in place.  
“Do you have any eggs?” he asked in a nonchalant tone of voice.  
She tilted her head and bit her lip as she studied him, trying to figure out what he had in mind.  
“Sure,” she deadpanned. “I’ll take mine sunny side up. Hold the bleach.”   
Can’s stone face slipped for a second and he barked out a surprised laugh.  
Then, he quickly caught himself and once more assumed his mask of indifference.   
He couldn’t completely hide a slightly disgruntled look this time, though, she noticed.   
Sanem giggled at his attempts to save face.   
But that turned out to be a mistake.   
She should have known Can wasn’t one to admit defeat, she thought, as she watched his demeanor change from pretend-affronted to one of playful menace.   
His eyes took on a decidedly dangerous gleam and he grinned at her wolfishly.   
She’d seen that smile before, she realized with rising alarm.   
That first day when he’d had her pinned to the ground for accidentally attacking him with the racket, he’d looked just like that!   
But back then he’d held back because he didn’t know her. She had a feeling he wasn’t going to show mercy now.  
So, she did the only sensible thing.   
She took one look at that grin, and then she bolted with a squeal of laughter.

And she almost made it out of the kitchen. 

But her escape was halted when a strong arm wrapped around her waist from behind. Sanem shrieked and giggled as he pulled her back against his body, her back colliding with his hard chest as his grip tightened. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” he whispered in her ear, sending delicious shivers down her spine even while she fought to break free.   
Between waves of laughter Sanem used both hands to try and pry off his arm, but no amount of wriggling would budge his hold on her.   
“That wasn’t very nice now, was it?” he murmured, his lips brushing softly against the shell of her ear. “Making fun of me like that?”  
Sanem gasped and tried twisting around.   
“I definitely think an apology is in order,” he continued softly, as if he hadn’t even noticed her attempts to get free.   
His lips closed around her earlobe in a gentle tug.   
A soft whimper escaped her, but she continued to push feebly against the iron grip of his arm.  
“Don’t you?” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the hollow beneath her ear.  
The kiss had her squirming for entirely different reasons, and she briefly sagged against him. But just as she was ready to give in and apologize, he used his free hand to start tickling her, using her weakness against her mercilessly.  
“Caaan!” Sanem panted and bucked against him, laughing and trying to apologize all at the same time.   
“Please, Can!”  
“Please?” he mumbled, running his lips slowly down the side of her neck. “Please what? Please more?”   
She could feel his lips turning up in a smile against her skin.  
“Please stop!” she gasped and giggled, jerking against his tickling fingers.   
“Are you sorry?” he said, no longer able to keep the laughter out of his own voice.  
“YES!” she yelled, pushing uselessly at his hand. 

She was laughing too hard to put up a real fight and before she realized what he had in mind, he’d swiped her legs from under her and picked her up. 

“Can!” she wheezed breathlessly, as she tried to wriggle out of his grasp. But next thing she knew, she was hanging upside down over his shoulder as he walked her back to the counter.

He unceremoniously plonked her down next to the cardboard box. 

Sanem was out of breath from laughing and squirming to get free, but he didn’t give her a chance to escape. He immediately moved to stand between her legs, his hands on the countertop either side of her, caging her in. 

Her hair was in her face and she was still fighting to get her giggling under control. 

Can reached up to push the hair out of her face and smooth it into place. 

She felt a moment of self-consciousness.   
She was a mess. Her face was sure to be tomato red from the laughing, fighting and hanging upside down. She probably looked about as attractive as an unruly five-year old after a temper tantrum. Not exactly the sort of thing that inspired kissing, she thought a little dejectedly.

But at least his ministrations gave her time to sober up a bit.

He tucked a final lock of hair behind her ear and when he could see her face again, he tilted her face up with a finger under her chin, and gave her a mock-stern look.

“You know, it’s not very smart to make fun of the guy who’s going to feed you,” he said conversationally.  
“I’m sorry,” she giggled.  
“Yeah, I can see that,” he said with a lop-sided smile.  
Then he sighed and shook his head.   
“This packing-snafu is really your fault,” he said nodding at the box.   
“My fault?” she said indignantly, feeling her eyebrows practically creeping into her hairline.  
“Oh, yes,” he nodded emphatically, still giving her that pretend-serious, slightly hurt look.   
“I may have been a bit distracted when I packed that,” he conceded. “But that was only because…” 

He really was too cute, she thought distractedly, not really listening to him. 

A few strands of hair had escaped his bun when he tackled her, and a mahogany lock flopped over his forehead now, making her fingers itch to pull the rest of it out of confinement.  
His cheeks were a little flushed too, but that was probably just from their tussle, she thought absentmindedly.   
He tried to play it cool, but he did seem a little embarrassed, she decided, studying him.   
Yet, at the same time there was undeniably humor dancing in his eyes.

“Lucky for you I make a mean omelet,” she heard him saying. “And you’re going to be sorry for...” 

Sanem didn’t know what made her do it. Maybe it was the way his eyebrows turned up in that inverted ‘V’ when he was a little shy. Maybe it was the crooked, slightly self-deprecating, smile that made him look oddly strong and vulnerable at the same time. Maybe it was simply build-up from this crazy day…the kissing in Jakes’ shop this morning, making out in the kitchen of the café, kissing a half-naked Can earlier in front of the house, and then that mind-blowing kiss on the couch…even a nun would be hard pressed not to snap at this point! 

‘Or maybe it just shows that you just have zero restraint around this man,’ her inner voice suggested drily.   
Sanem mentally shrugged it off.

Whatever the reason, she found herself reaching up to cup his face in both hands, lightly running her fingers over his beard. And then she leaned in and kissed him, cutting him off mid-sentence. 

For a second he seemed too surprised to react, but then a low growl rumbled through his chest and he stepped closer. His arm wrapped around her waist as he pulled her to the edge of the counter. She briefly worried that she’d fall off, and she automatically wrapped her legs around him for support. Can groaned into her mouth at the added pressure and she gasped as she felt his body’s reaction.   
This time there was a lot more than just lips involved. The way he held her right on the edge of the counter forced her body to lean on him. She slipped her arms around his neck, reveling in the feeling of his solid shoulders supporting her weight, and that hard chest pressed against her. His hips pinned her in place, making her body hum and her head spin with the crazy jolts of pleasure shooting through her. One hand gripped firmly under her thigh, as he pulled her closer, molding his body to hers.   
Sanem had the strangest sensation of surrender, as she gave herself over to him. She may have been the one to initiate the kiss this time, but she was acutely aware that she’d completely handed over control of the situation. And that was okay, she realized in a brief moment of clarity. For the first time ever, she wasn’t scared to let someone else take control!   
She almost broke off the kiss to share her epiphany with him, but then he shifted against her and cupped the back of her head to deepen the kiss, and she forgot everything else. 

***

Sanem was humming happily as she pulled her hair into a messy bun and slipped on a pair of sunglasses.   
She felt absolutely buoyant this morning.   
So full of a bubbling, fizzing energy, she felt like a bottle of champagne that had been shaken violently and was about to blow its top.  
She giggled to herself and blushed.  
She knew there was just no way she was going to be able to focus on work, with the way her body was buzzing, and her mind was spinning. So she’d decided to head out for an early walk to burn off some of the excess energy.  
She bent to tie the laces on her white sneakers.   
A small, secretive smile hovered around her mouth and heat crept into her cheeks as she thought about the reason for her exceptionally bubbly mood.   
For a moment she forgot what she was doing, her fingers twisting the laces of her left shoe in endless loops, as she stared into space.   
With an effort, she pulled her head out of the clouds, finished tying her shoes and stood up. She grabbed her keys out of the small ceramic bowl on the hallway table and at the last minute she remembered to tuck her phone into the pocket of her windbreaker.  
And then she was bouncing out the door.   
There was a brisk wind coming in off the Atlantic this morning, and it carried a bit more of a chill than it had the last couple of days.  
Sanem breathed deeply, enjoying the feel of the cool, salty air on her heated skin.   
She quickly descended the steps to the beach and almost skipped to the water’s edge. Clouds were scurrying across the sky today, but the sun was out, turning the spray from the choppy waves into glittering diamonds where they crashed against the rocks.  
Sanem walked along the water’s edge, now and then running a little further up on the beach to dodge the bigger waves washing up on the wet sand or jumping over pieces of driftwood left behind by the tide.   
She passed a couple of seagulls standing beaks to the wind on the hardpacked sand, feathers all puffed up to keep warm. The birds seemed utterly unimpressed with her presence and barely move as she walked by.  
Sanem had just decided to find a sheltered spot up against the lower slope of the promontory, to sit and soak up some sun, when her phone started buzzing.  
Her fingers had gone numb from the chill wind and she fumbled with the zipper and almost dropped the phone in the sand.   
Settling down, with her back against a piece of driftwood, she finally managed to detangle the phone from her pocket. She smiled when she saw Zoe’s face flashing on the screen.

“Hey you,” she said happily, as she answered.   
“Hey yourself!” Zoe’s voice came back at her, surprisingly clear considering how spotty the reception could get out here.  
“What’s that noise?” Zoe asked.  
“I’m down at the beach,” Sanem explained. “Soaking up some vitamin D, you know? It’s the waves and probably the wind too. Can you hear me or should I head back inside?”  
“No, no it’s fine,” Zoe said. “Actually, it sounds more than fine. I wish I was there.” Her voice sounded a little wistful.   
“Me too!” Sanem sighed. “Speaking of…when are you coming?”  
“Actually, that’s why I’m calling,” Zoe said. “How would next week suit you? I’m supposed to head back to New York in two weeks to spend some time with my mom, but I can finish up here in a few days and come out to the island for a week first?”  
“Yes!” Sanem squealed and kicked her heels in the sand in excitement.  
“God, yes! Zoe I have soooo much to tell you. And you’ll love the island. It’s so beautiful here. And I want you to meet my new friends out here too. And we’ll go hiking and maybe the water will be warm enough for swimming soon? Although maybe not. Can says it stays pretty chilly till late in the summer. Just hurry up and get out here,” she babbled on eagerly, not leaving room for Zoe to jump in.  
“Whoa! Hold on!” Zoe interrupted. “Hiking? Swimming in icy water? Do you even know me? Or have you forgotten all about your best friends out there on that rock?”  
Sanem laughed at the obvious alarm in her friend’s voice.  
“Since when have I ever expressed an interest in those out-doorsy things?” Zoe continued, her voice ringing with semi-fake distaste. “And as for swimming? I only go near open water when I’m on a tropical island and have easy access to comfy sun-loungers and fruity drinks, as you well know!”  
“Alright, alright, keep your pants on!” Sanem chuckled. “I won’t make you go swimming, but I’m sure you can manage a bit of sightseeing. And they do make a mean lobster-roll in town,” she tempted.  
“Now that sounds more like it,” Zoe agreed, once more back to her happy self.   
“Besides, I’m coming out there to see you,” she said. “And to make sure you embrace all the…benefits, that island has to offer,” she added suggestively.  
Sanem blushed at her friend’s insinuations. If only Zoe knew just how literally she’d been embracing those ‘benefits’ lately…  
“Sanem?” Zoe prodded when her silence dragged on for too long.  
“Yeah, sorry,” she said, feeling a little flustered.   
“Is everything okay?” Zoe asked, a hint of concern in her voice.  
“Yes, yes everything is fine,” Sanem hurried to reassure her.  
“Actually…things are pretty great,” she added a little timidly, smiling to herself as she drew random patterns in the sand with her finger.  
“Sanem?” Zoe pressed. “Spill! What’s going on out there? Did anything happen?”  
Sanem couldn’t suppress a happy little giggle as she tried to decide where to start.  
“Sanem!” Zoe gasped. “Something did happen, didn’t it?”   
“Kind of,” she said dreamily, smiling so big her cheeks hurt.  
“Well go on! Tell me!” Zoe whined impatiently.  
“Well,” Sanem said, taking a deep breath. “I have a boyfriend.”  
Silence trickled down the line as Zoe waited for her to continue…or recovered from a heart attack from hearing her best friend had finally decided to give romance a chance.  
“And…I think I love him,” she added quietly.   
“Actually, I know I love him,” she said a little more firmly.   
Zoe was making a funny whimpering sound, but didn’t interrupt.  
“We’ve been spending a lot of time together lately…sort of dating I guess.”  
“Yes, I know that,” Zoe interrupted, seeming to have recovered the power of speech. “You told me. But you obviously left out a few important details if you’ve gone from ‘sort of dating’ to ‘I love him’!”  
Sanem laughed at her friend’s affronted tone.  
“I thought you’d be happy for me?” she teased.  
“I’m thrilled!” Zoe yelled. “And I’m really pissed that I’m too far away to watch this first hand – especially because I’m sure you’re not telling me the half of it. Come on, Sanem. What’s he like? How’s the kissing? The making out?” Zoe sounded like she was jumping on her bed. Which she might actually be, Sanem thought with a fond shake of her head.  
“Have you had sex?” Zoe asked in a breathlessly excited tone.  
“Zoe!” Sanem sat up straight and slammed a hand flat on the sand.   
“Well, it’s a fair question,” Zoe argued. “I mean…I know you have reservations about that kind of intimacy, but you’ve never had a boyfriend before. And I’ve definitely never heard you use the L-word before!”  
Sanem bit her lip, and contemplated how much to tell her friend.   
“So?” Zoe’s impatience was practically pulsing through the phone. “Have you? Had sex, I mean.”  
“No, Zoe, I haven’t,” Sanem said, rolling her eyes in exasperation.  
“Huh…” Her best friend sounded unreasonably disappointed at that.  
“But…” Sanem continued haltingly.  
“Yes? You’ve done something, haven’t you?” Zoe bounced back eagerly.  
Sanem squeezed her eyes shot and took a deep breath.  
“We’ve slept together,” she said, the words coming out in such a rush she wasn’t sure Zoe had understood.  
“What?” Zoe squealed. “But I thought you just said…”  
“I did,” Sanem interrupted before her friend could go off the deep end. “We haven’t had sex. But we have slept together. Last night. Sleep being the operative word,” she said pointedly.  
“I’m confused,” Zoe said. “Are you telling me you’re sharing a bed with that delicious piece of man-candy, and you’re…what? Keeping your hands on top of the covers? How does that even work?” Her friend sounded so genuinely mystified, Sanem couldn’t help laughing.  
“Zoe!” she chuckled. “First of all, I do have some self control you know,”  
“Believe me, I know!” Zoe muttered. “Way too much of you ask me.”  
“And also,” Sanem continued tentatively. “I…well, I guess I’m not completely sure where this is going yet, and I just don’t want to rush into something that big, before I’m sure, you know?” She bit her lip, hoping that Zoe wouldn’t notice that her voice suddenly sounded a little brittle.  
Zoe made an exasperated sound over the phone.  
“Sanem!” she groaned. “First of all, I know you would like everything to come with a gold-stamped guarantee, but sweetie, relationships just don’t. If you like him…if you love him,” she corrected, “it doesn’t get any better than that.”  
“Yeah, but what about how he feels?” Sanem mumbled quietly.  
“What did you say?” Zoe asked.  
“Nothing,” she said. “It’s just that there are some things that are a bit…unsettled right now, and I kind of think it might not be the right time.” She shrugged even though Zoe couldn’t see her.  
“Sanem, Honey,” Zoe said patiently. “You can wait for an eternity for everything to be perfect, but you know what? It probably never will be. There’s always going to be something. So, Sweetie, please, please, please, for once, just consider living in the moment?”   
“I know, I know, I will,” she said, hoping to get Zoe off her back. “Promise.”   
“See, now I know you’re just placating me,” Zoe said in her best schoolmarm voice.   
Sanem giggled.  
“Okay, I’ll stop now,” Zoe said. “But at least tell me about this sleeping together-business,” she added gleefully.   
Sanem smiled, as she pictured her friend settling in for a nice long girl-talk session. She took a deep breath and tried to organize her thoughts. Even though they were hundreds of miles apart there was something very comforting about the familiarity of sharing important things with her friend, and Sanem found herself gradually relaxing as she filled Zoe in on everything that had happened yesterday, and particularly last night... 

Can was the one who finally pulled away. She moaned in protest as he took a small step back, putting a few inches of space between their overheated bodies. He leaned his hands on the counter either side of her and stared at her face. He shook his head, mumbling something unintelligible, breathing heavily and obviously fighting to regain control over his body.  
His eyes were heavy-lidded, the dark depths swirling with emotion. He had a stunned, almost pained expression on his face.   
Sanem was having trouble catching her own breath, and could only stare into those dark, stormy eyes, as she tried to make sense of what was happening to her. What he was doing to her.   
“Sanem,” he rasped in a strained voice, leaning his forehead against hers. “I need to cool off before I take this too far.” He planted a quick kiss on her cheek. Then he pushed off the counter and stalked out of the kitchen.  
Moments later she heard the sound of the front door closing softly.   
Did he leave? she wondered, feeling inexplicably hurt at the thought.  
But then she heard the scrape of the deckchair on the wooden floorboards of the porch as he sat down.   
She remained perched on the counter for a moment, trying to get her head together as her heartrate slowly turned back to normal.  
When she jumped down off the counter, she was pleasantly surprised to find that her legs didn’t buckle under her. Her whole body still felt as wobbly as Jello, every nerve ending humming and fizzing with the sensory overload he’d created. His lips, hands, hips…every part of him that had touched her, seemed to be seared into her body’s memory and she felt oddly bereft without it.   
But she was also grateful, she realized, as reality slowly set in again.  
There was no doubt I her mind that she wouldn’t have stopped. If he hadn’t pulled back, she wouldn’t have been able to.   
In fact, she wouldn’t have wanted to, if she was being honest.   
But even while a part of her would have loved nothing more than to give in to the passion of the moment and her body’s demands, she knew she wasn’t ready.   
She was in love with him.   
She knew that.   
But she wasn’t ready to take their relationship to the next level unless she knew that he was on the same page. She had to keep at least that part of herself unattached in case this all came to nothing…   
Sanem blew out a breath of air she hadn’t been aware that she was holding in.   
Then she followed him out onto the front porch.  
He looked up as she stepped out and closed the door behind her. He smiled at her tentatively. When she smiled back, her held out his hand to her.   
She went to him willingly, and let him pull her onto his lap, leaning her head against his chest as his arms enfolded her in a warm, comforting embrace.  
“I’m sorry I ran out like that,” he said quietly into her hair.  
“Don’t be,” she said. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I just don’t seem to be able to stop myself around you.”   
She felt laughter shake his body.  
“Please don’t stop,” he chuckled, as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.  
She raised her head to look at him. His eyes were warm and full of humor.   
“I love that you’re comfortable with kissing me…and stuff,” he said, a slow, sexy smile pulling at his lips.   
“But I also know that it’s a bit soon for us to take it any further,” he added with a reassuring squeeze of her shoulder. “So, I’ll try to be on my best behavior, okay?”   
“Okay,” she nodded. Then she frowned.  
“But…does that mean I don’t get dinner tonight?” she asked.  
Laughter rumbled through his chest, and he hugged her tight.  
“I’m not going anywhere,” he laughed. “And I’ll feed you, don’t worry. I think it’s the least I can do since I plan on spending the night with you,” he said with a mischievous wink.  
Sanem’s head whipped around and she felt her eyes widen.  
“You what?” she gasped.  
“I’m spending the night,” he stated matter-of-factly, playing with a lock of her hair.  
“But…but you just said…” she spluttered, her cheeks suddenly flaming hot again.  
“I know what I just said,” he snickered. “And I meant it. But I want to sleep with you.  
She blinked at him, distantly aware that her mouth was hanging open.   
“Just sleep,” he added, leaning in for a quick kiss.

“Wow!” Zoe said in wonder, when Sanem stopped talking. “That man really means business.”  
“Yeah, I know,” she said dreamily.   
“No seriously, you’re in big trouble my friend!” Zoe said.   
“I know.” Sanem giggled and grabbed a handful of sand, watching the grains of sand slowly trickle between her fingers.   
“So, what happens now?” Zoe asked. “Where is he? Did you really just sleep in the same bed? How are you feeling?”  
“Slow down, Zoe!” Sanem laughed.  
“Yes, we really just slept…although there may have been a little more kissing involved,” she said, feeling herself blush again.   
She really didn’t know how to explain to Zoe how incredibly intimate it had felt, crawling into bed with him last night. At first, she’d been self-conscious and shy. She’d never shared her bed with anyone before, certainly not a man, and she’d been certain she wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink.   
But Can had simply pulled her into his arms, and held her close, languidly stroking her hair while he told her funny stories and shared little details about himself in that low, soft voice of his. In no time at all, she’d felt completely relaxed, and she had drifted off with her head on his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her.   
She couldn’t really put into words how amazing she’d felt when she woke up this morning either.   
When she woke up, he was sleeping peacefully next to her, one arm firmly wrapped around her, his legs tangled with hers, and she hadn’t been able to pull herself away from studying him.   
But she didn’t know how to tell Zoe about any of that.   
“Can left this morning,” she said instead.   
“He’s taking out a new group tomorrow and he had to go to the main camp site to set up today,” she explained. “But he’ll be back later.”  
“Well, I’ll be looking forward to the next update on your love life…which is actually a lot more interesting than mine at the moment,” Zoe said, sounding slightly shocked.  
“Yeah, it’s practically against the laws of nature,” Sanem commented drily.   
Zoe laughed, and they chatted easily about her visit for a while longer.

***

Sanem was smiling as she trudged back along the beach towards the stairs.   
The prospect of Zoe visiting had just made her day even better, and she felt like she had to be dangerously close to using up her quota of happiness for the foreseeable future.   
She sighed happily and pushed her sunglasses into her hair. Then she started climbing the steps.   
Her head was already busy planning all the things they would do when Zoe got her.   
She was going to take her down to meet Jake, Gee and Ceycey, she decided. She was pretty sure that Gee and Zoe would hit it off, and Zoe would get a kick out of Ceycey’s antics.   
She chuckled and shook her head.   
Her mind turned to the pile of work that was waiting for her at the cottage and she started doing a mental plan of what she should be tackling today.  
She had just reached the top step, when she happened to glance towards the main house.  
An unfamiliar black SUV was parked in front of the house, but she couldn’t make out if anyone was in it.   
Sanem frowned and bit her lip.   
Can wasn’t supposed to be back till later that afternoon, she knew, so she decided to head over to see if she could help whoever had come out to see him.   
The car was blocking her view of the front porch and it wasn’t till she walked around the front end of the car that she saw the person knocking on his front door.  
It was a woman, she noticed, but not one that she recognized. Not from behind anyway.   
The stranger appeared to be of average height and built, but that was about all she could tell. The woman was wearing a formfitting beige trench coat, black knee-high boots and had a colorful scarf wrapped around her hair, probably to keep it from being blown about by the brisk wind.   
Sanem watched as the woman knocked one more time before stepping to the living room window to peer inside.   
“He’s not home,” she called to the woman, alerting her to her presence.  
“He’s out by the campsite today,” she added, as she reached the porch steps.   
“Can I give him a message?” she asked.  
The woman turned around at the sound of her voice.  
Sanem looked up and stopped in her tracks, one foot on the bottom porch step.  
“Oh!” she said, pretty sure her own face matched the look of unpleasant surprise on Denise’ face.


	27. Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can is struggling with a lot right now - trying to win over Sanem, fighting off Denise and coming to terms with some long buried inner demons...poor guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay with this chapter - I blame coronavirus. I've been down with the flu myself for a little over a week and am still not a hundred percent yet, but getting there. Also, being cooped up at home with the family trying to work and live a semi-normal life is making writing a little hard :-) So I'm predicting less regular updates while this is going on. Anyway, stay safe everybody!

Can eased his foot off the gas as the Jeep fishtailed around a sharp bend in the road. He swore under his breath as he fought for control. Tires screeched as the car lurched back in the right lane. 

“Whoa, Divit! Close call,” he mumbled, his pulse pounding in his ears. 

A cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck at the realization that he’d almost lost control of the car. 

“Running the Jeep off the road would not be helpful,” he mumbled to himself, as he took the next turn at a more sedate speed. 

He blew out a puff of air and tried to focus. 

What was going on with him? he wondered with a frown, gripping the wheel tightly.

He was never a reckless driver, but today his mind seemed to keep getting off track.

His thoughts kept circling around Sanem, around last night, and around spending the night with her…

It wasn’t even as if it was the first time, he chided himself. He’d spent the night on her couch at couple of times before. One time even with her - totally by accident of course, and he still wasn’t sure she even knew about that.   
But this was the first time they’d spent the night together in bed, and not because one of them had fallen asleep during dinner or something like that. 

A giddy smile broke out on his face as he relived last night one more time. 

Sleeping with her had been perfect!  
It had been perfectly innocent too of course. He’d been on his best behavior…as promised.  
‘Well…mostly, anyway,’ his inner voice whispered.   
“Yeah, well, it’s not like she’s a mind-reader,” he mumbled, shifting restlessly in his seat as heat crept up his neck.  
At least she had no way of knowing that his body had been too wired for him to go to sleep till long after she’d drifted off.   
But he’d gladly lose a little sleep to watch her sleep in his arms, he thought with a half-smile. 

Of course, after he’d eventually drifted off, he’d somehow managed to completely wrap himself around her in his sleep. Or maybe they had curled around each other? 

Either way, when he’d woken up this morning, the first thing he’d been aware of was the soft, warm body pressed against his. He’d hardly dared to breathe, keeping his eyes shut as he’d enjoyed the contact. She’d fit perfectly against him, even as his much larger body practically cocooned hers. Their legs had somehow tangled together, and he’d enjoyed the pressure of her arm around his waist, her warm breath on his neck... 

(...) Her amazing scent was on the pillow, and in his nose, making him want to burrow into her warmth and softness and just breathe. When she shifted a little against him, his arms automatically tightened around her slender frame to keep her from rolling away from him, his hand slipping up under her t-shirt to the warm, soft skin on her lower back. Her body briefly pressed tightly against his hips, his almost painfully hard length digging into her belly. He had to grit his teeth not to groan out loud and give in to the urge to grind against her. But he somehow managed to carefully shift his body in a way, so she wouldn’t notice. He hoped.   
But his maneuver caused her to giggle, revealing that she’d been feigning sleep too.   
Can finally opened his eyes, to find her sleepy-eyed but with a mischievous smile on her face.   
“Morning,” she mumbled. Her voice sounded all husky and sexy from sleep, sending shivers down his back.  
“Morning,” he whispered, leaning closer to rub his nose against hers.   
They stayed like that, arms around each other, just looking into each other’s eyes. The sun hit the side of her face, making her eyes look like pools of melted chocolate with swirls of honey. Absolutely mouthwatering, he thought dazedly, gazing into their soft heat.   
She looked a little shy, he realized, as he studied her face. Like she wasn’t entirely sure how to handle waking up next to him. But she hadn’t commented on his hand on her bare back, so he decided to leave it there for now. He watched as her cheeks flushed pink under his scrutiny and then he just couldn’t help himself. He leaned in slowly, eyes dropping to her lips, clearly showing her his intent. Her lips parted and she sucked in a breath of air. And then he kissed her. It was a soft, lazy good-morning kiss, full of little licks and nibbles. Sweet and lingering, and when they broke apart, any self-consciousness on her part seemed to have gone…

Can shook himself, feeling the heat spreading to the back of his neck at the images flashing through his head.   
Thoughts of her had been distracting him all day, he realized.   
He’d been going through the motions of preparing his trip, running on autopilot while his focus had been miles away. Literally.   
When had this happened to him? he wondered, running a hand around the back of his neck, trying to ease the tension.   
When did he start craving her company so much that the mere thought of three days away from her made him this unfocused? Reckless even? How did he suddenly find himself so reluctant to be away from her that he wasn’t even looking forward to this trip? 

That last thought gave him pause, and he automatically slowed the jeep down further as he contemplated that little nugget of self-insight.

Of course he was looking forward to the trip, he told himself. 

He loved the outdoors.   
He loved camping and hiking. He loved the mountains and opening people’s eyes to the beauty and splendor of nature. He’d always enjoyed these trips. So much so that he’d secretly been planning to turn it into more than just a summer-job.   
So why was he not excited about going?   
What was happening to him? 

He shook his head at his own uncharacteristic behavior, but at the same time there was no denying the ease in tension as he got closer to home. He felt better - calmer - now that glimpses of the ocean had started showing, and the dense forest lining both sides of the road was thinning, giving way to stretches of beach grass and low brush vegetation. 

Can glanced out over the expanse of water on his right and bit his lip in contemplation

The thing was, he could understand his desire to be with her. After all, he was head over heels in love with her.   
He smiled stupidly at the thought.

What had him stumped though, was this absurd need to be with her all the time, the irrational fear that if he left, even for a short while, something would happen to take her away from him.   
He shook his head at his own inexplicable unease. 

There was no reason to feel that way, he tried telling himself.   
He was almost certain she felt the same way he did, and there was no doubt in his mind that she was attracted to him. She may not have any experience with a physical relationship but he was sure she felt the connection as powerfully as he did. Her reaction to him was always instantaneous and the heat between them so combustible it was a miracle they hadn’t accidentally set anything on fire yet!  
And he was pretty sure things would have gone further last night if he hadn’t pulled back. 

Can groaned out loud and adjusted himself in the seat, as he wrestled his focus back on the road.   
“Snap out of it, Divit!” he mumbled to himself, shifting to a lower gear as he finally approached the incline leading up to the bluff overlooking the bay. 

But even though she seemed to surrender to him whenever they kissed, he had this nagging feeling that she was holding something back. That she didn’t completely trust him yet. And it made him feel like she could still slip through his fingers like water.   
He really, really hated that feeling! 

It made him want to stick to her side like glue to make sure she didn’t just disappear, he realized, as the Jeep’s engine whined in protest against the steep climb. 

When did he get so possessive?

‘Pretty ironic, isn’t it?’ his inner voice observed coolly. ‘That you are the one who’s worried she might disappear?’

He snorted humorlessly at the thought. 

Yes, it was kind of ironic, he admitted, but it was also frustrating as hell! 

He knew she had an issue with people leaving her – in one way or another – and he was trying his best to convince her that he wouldn’t. But up until he met her, he had admittedly been the master of leaving. He’d always been the one who refused to be locked down in one place, always craving his freedom to go whenever and where-ever he wanted. 

But now it seemed the tables had been turned on him, and he wasn’t liking it one bit! 

He simply didn’t know how to handle being the one, who might get left behind, he realized somewhat disconcertedly. 

‘Maybe you’ve just never cared enough to let it bother you before?’ his inner voice suggested.  
Can gritted his teeth and gripped the wheel harder, routinely swerving to avoid the big pothole just before the turn-off to the one-lane dirt road leading out to the house. 

It didn’t really matter why it bothered him, he decided as he eased the big jeep off the main road and onto the narrow drive.  
He wasn’t planning on letting her slip away.   
He was going to win her trust, and all would be okay!

***

Can slowed the Jeep down almost to a crawl as he approached the house. As he came around the last bend in the drive, the front porch came into view.   
A big black SUV was parked out in front.   
Can squinted against the sun and frowned. He didn’t recognize the car.   
Pulling up next to the other vehicle, he did a quick scan of the porch and the grounds in front of the house. There was no one in sight.   
He got out of the Jeep, and walked around the back of the SUV. A logo-sticker on the back pronounced it to be the property of a well-known rental company.   
A visitor to the island then, he concluded, as a clammy feeling of premonition started to spread from his stomach.  
He rubbed his neck as he stared at the car.   
He could think of only two people who might decide to pop by unannounced, and both of them would mean trouble.  
He looked around one more time, wondering where the driver might have gone off to. The beach maybe? Or perhaps the cottage?  
He spun around, looking towards the cottage, as if he could somehow tell by looking at the weathered wood sidings if someone was visiting her.   
But there was no sign of life anywhere.

He decided to try the cottage anyway. Maybe Sanem knew who had come to see him and where they’d gone off to, he thought.   
Although he kind of hoped not.   
No matter who the driver was, it was bound to get complicated, he figured.   
He crossed the grounds to the cottage, looking around for any sign of the visitor as he went.

As he got closer to the cottage, he thought he heard voices. They seemed to be coming from the far side of the building, where he knew Sanem had set up a few of the old deck chairs from the professor’s shed, for windy days like today.  
Yes, it was definitely the sound of voices he heard over the noise of the wind.   
Female voices, he decided with a shudder, as he made his way past the front porch and neared the corner of the cottage. 

The voices grew louder as he got closer, but the wind was making it difficult to hear what they were saying. He hurried towards the corner of the cottage, but his greeting died on his lips and he skidded to an abrupt halt at the sight that met him.

Sanem and Denise were sitting side by side in two of the old deckchairs with the peeling robin’s egg-blue paint. The chairs were facing away from him, pushed close to the side of the cottage to provide as much shelter as possible from the wind coming in off the ocean. 

Two mugs of coffee were sitting unattended on a tray. Freshly brewed, judging by the languidly rising tendrils of steam, he noticed absentmindedly.

Sanem was turned slightly towards Denise. He couldn’t see her face, but her whole body screamed tension. It was in the set of her shoulders, the stiffness of her spine.

“…so really it would just be kind of selfish, don’t you think?” Denise was saying in a tone of voice that managed to sound at once reasonable and catty. He knew it well. It was her trademark passive-aggressive approach.   
And she excelled at it!

He saw Sanem’s jaw tighten at the tone, one hand clenching the armrest of the deckchair so hard her knuckles turned white.

“You know, Denise, I think Can is perfectly capable of making his own decisions,” she said calmly. 

To someone who didn’t know her, her voice probably sounded soft and pleasant. But he could hear the steely tension underneath. 

“Oh, I know he is,” Denise agreed. “But sometimes he’s just too nice, if you know what I mean?” Denise’s husky laughter grated on his nerves. 

“He’s always had a bit of a hero-complex. Always trying to save the world, help the weak, that sort of thing. It’s what makes him so good at what he does,” Denise was saying in a speculative voice. 

Can listened with growing irritation at the proprietary note in her voice, but before he could make his presence known, Denise continued.

“But it also makes him easy prey to a certain type of women,” she said pointedly, casting a sidelong glance at Sanem. “He just can’t resist a ‘damsel in distress’-type of situation. Clichéd, really, but I’ve seen him fall into that trap before,” she shrugged and leaned back in her chair, turning her face up to the sun.

“Be a shame if something like that stood in the way of his big break, don’t you think?” she added with a smile.

“What the hell, Denise?” Can snapped, stepping into view of the two women. 

***

“Can!” Sanem gasped sitting up straight in her chair, turning around to face him, as he stepped fully around the corner of the house.   
She looked both startled and relieved to see him, he noticed. Then a shadow of something almost like guilt crossed her face, as if she felt ashamed of the conversation he’d just walked in on. 

Can silently studied the two women for a moment. 

The tension between them was almost palpable and he instinctively wanted to pull Sanem into his arms, to physically protect her. From what, he couldn’t really say for sure, but if his editor was showing even a hint of her notorious ruthlessness, she’d soon learn she’d picked the wrong victim! 

Then he checked himself. 

Being overprotective usually didn’t win him any points with Sanem, so he settled for bending down to give her a quick peck on the cheek.

She gave him a small smile, but her eyes still looked troubled, he noticed. He reached out to softly cup her face in his hand, taking as much comfort in the contact as she seemed to. He ran his thumb lightly over her cheekbone until her eyes softened under his probing gaze and her smile lost its tension, making him smile in return.

“Hello, Can,” Denise’s smoky voice abruptly brought him back to the present. She was smiling in that unruffled, confident way of hers, like she didn’t have a care in the world.

She looked perfectly cool and collected, make-up immaculate, hair held in check by a colorful scarf, wearing her idea of ‘out-doorsy’ clothes. 

Can smirked and couldn’t help briefly wishing for one of those quick little summer storms they were prone to getting, just to teach her how wrong she had it! 

That beige trench-coat was definitely more about style than practicality, and those black knee-high boots with the chunky high heels might be sturdier than anything he’d ever seen her wear before, but they wouldn’t make it very far through the mud and puddles that would pop up in seconds once the deluge started. Denise was the definition of city girl, he thought, and so stubborn about it she’d probably insist on wearing her Manhattan wardrobe even on an expedition to the North Pole! It was like her uniform, or an armor she could hide behind, he realized.

But then he saw the cracks in that armor. 

The slight wobble in her smile. The hint of uncertainty as her eyes shifted between the two of them.

“What are you doing here, Denise?” he asked a little less brusquely.   
He wasn’t quite ready to let go of his annoyance with her yet, but curiosity about her recent unusual behavior won out.

“Oh, you know, Sanem and I were just having coffee, getting to know each other,” Denise said and waved towards the untouched coffee mugs. Her long, Ferrari-red nails glinted in the sun with the movement.   
“You came out here to have coffee with Sanem?” Can asked skeptically, automatically reaching out to run a lock of silky, brown hair through his fingers.  
“Well, no,” Denise said, her eyes briefly lingering on his hand, tangled in Sanem’s hair.   
“I came out here to talk to you, but you weren’t here and Sanem was kind enough to invite me for coffee while I waited.” She smiled easily, casually placing a hand on Sanem’s arm, suggesting a new, friendly intimacy. 

It didn’t escape him that Sanem flinched slightly at the contact.

‘What are you up to Denise? he wondered, continuing to play with Sanem’s hair. 

“You could have called, you know,” he said, stiffly.   
“Yes, well, I must admit I was a little curious to see the place that you’ve decided to call home,” she said conversationally. But there was a slight edge to her tone, he noticed.

He looked at her for long moment, debating whether or not to bring up the conversation he’d just interrupted.   
His eyes drifted to Sanem, taking in her tense posture, the slight frown on her face and the fleeting look of incredulity as she stared at Denise. Obviously, whatever they’d been talking about before he got here had been anything but casual and friendly.   
He wanted to throttle Denise for making Sanem feel uncomfortable in any way, but he had a feeling Sanem wouldn’t appreciate his interference. She was perfectly capable of fighting her own battles, he knew.   
He deliberated for a moment, but at a warning glance from Sanem, he decided to drop it.

“Yeah, well it saves me a trip into town, I guess,” he said gruffly.  
“Oh? You were coming in to see me?” Denise practically purred.   
“I was hoping you could clear something up for me,” he said, casually squatting down next to Sanem’s chair. 

He snaked one arm around her waist and pulled her as close as the armrest of the deckchair would allow, needing the physical contact to soothe his own flaring temper. Sanem’s eyes briefly widened in surprise. Then a look of understanding flashed in the chocolate-colored depths and she smiled at him.

“My sister called last night,” he said, still looking at Sanem as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.  
Then he turned to look at Denise.

“She mentioned you’d been asking questions about my father,” he added, pinning Denise with a hard stare. 

Denise rolled her eyes and laughed overbearingly.

“Of course, she did,” she said with a smirk. 

Can wasn’t sure what kind of reaction he’d expected but he should have remembered that his editor wasn’t easily rattled. 

“And I’m sure she’s already turned out some sort of giant conspiracy-theory about my evil intents on you and your family fortune, am I right?” Denise laughed good-naturedly. 

Can just gave her a flat stare.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’,” Denise concluded at his continued silence.

“Well,” she said, leaning forward to reach for her coffee. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Derya doesn’t like me much, I know.”

She leaned back, taking a leisurely sip of the cooling beverage.

“Are you looking into my father’s health, Denise?” Can asked quietly.

Sanem was holding her breath next to him and he gave her a reassuring squeeze as he kept looking at Denise. 

Denise sighed theatrically and rolled her eyes again. 

“Yes, I was asking around trying to find out what was wrong with him,” she finally replied. “Is that what you want to hear?”

Can lifted an eyebrow, willing her to explain, but she didn’t offer any further explanation.

“Actually, what I want to know is why my father’s health is of interest to you at all, Denise?” he asked, when she calmly continued to sip her coffee.

Denise looked at him over the rim of her coffee cup.

“Your father’s health doesn’t concern me, Can,” she said quietly after a few moments’ deliberation. 

“What concerns me, is the lengths he might be willing to go to, in order to get you to do what he wants.” Denise shot him a meaningful look. 

Sanem made a soft sound of surprise.

He frowned in confusion as he studied Denise’s suddenly very sober expression. 

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

“Look, Can, I’m not going to pretend that I’m here for totally altruistic reasons,” Denise replied. “It’s no secret that it would mean a lot to the company – and to me personally – if we close this deal.” She looked at him pointedly.  
“But I’m also your friend. Have been for a long time now, Can.” 

She sounded very serious he couldn’t help but notice.

“I was there when he tried to bully you into the family business, remember? I was there for all his subsequent attempt to manipulate you into coming home and taking your place in the company.” Denise’s voice had completely lost the sultry, temptress-tone she usually employed.  
“And I was the one who offered you an out when you needed to get away from his machinations,” she finished quietly. 

Can just looked at her, vaguely aware that Sanem was staring at him.

“Oh, come on, Can!” Denise said in an exasperated tone, when he didn’t speak.

“I can’t be the only one here who’s struck by your dad’s role in your decision to turn down what is - even if I say so myself - the best deal you’ve ever been offered. A deal that would give you everything you’ve ever wanted professionally and personally, I might add!” Denise was glaring at him now, two bright red spots glowing on her cheeks.

“Tell me you don’t find it the least bit suspicious that he’s conveniently gotten so ill you need to come home to take over, just when you get the opportunity of a lifetime?” Denise was getting more and more agitated as she spoke.

“Okay, calm down, Denise,” he said a little shocked at his editor’s unexpected vehemence.

“First of all, it didn’t occur to me that my dad might be up to his old tricks because for one, his health has been declining for years. Also, I knew about the latest development months ago. And he wasn’t even the one to tell me about it. In fact, he tried to hide it at first. 

That’s why I came back and decided not to do any more assignments for a while.” Can looked at her steadily.

“If you recall, I told you a while ago, that I was taking a break from the travelling,” he said. 

Denise just shook her head and was about to speak. 

“Just let me finish,” he said holding up a hand. 

“My dad has never made it a secret that he wants me to take over for him at the company. And I have never made it a secret that I don’t intend to. He and I will never agree when it comes to that. But his health-issues are real, Denise.”

Denise scoffed at that, but wisely refrained from speaking her distrust out loud.

“Okay, but if his health issues are the nothing new, then what changed to make you want to stay home now?” she asked, changing tactics. 

It didn’t escape him that her eyes lingered briefly on Sanem, a speculative look on her face.

“He’s getting older, Denise,” Can said quietly. “He can’t ignore it anymore, and even if he did…well, he might like to think he’s Superman, but he is only human,” Can said with a slight shrug.   
He felt Sanem squeeze his hand.

“So…what? He’s just old, not suffering from some sort of terminal disease,” Denise said bluntly. “Why would that keep you from doing what you do? I mean, if you’re not planning on taking over the family business anyway, why should it matter if you’re here or out doing what you love?”   
She sounded genuinely puzzled. 

“Jesus, Denise!” he exclaimed, running his free hand over his hair.   
“You really don’t think very highly of me, do you?” he said. “You honestly think that the only thing that would make me stay and take care of my family is if someone is dying? Are you serious? You really think I’m that big an asshole? Wow! Thanks a lot!”

“Can, that’s not what I’m saying,” she tried interrupting him.

“No? Well, it sure sounds like it to me,” he snapped, surprised at the sharp pain her words had caused him. 

“Maybe you got confused because I’ve never really seen eye to eye with my dad about the business,” he continued, lashing out in reflex.   
“But you know what? The very fact that I bother to argue with him about my career choices should tell you something. If I didn’t care about him? If I didn’t care about my family? I wouldn’t have wasted any time feeling bad about our disagreement. I would have moved on and never looked back! But that’s not the case, Denise.” 

He was almost yelling now, feeling more and more outraged with her assumptions.

“Can…” Sanem mumbled at his side, clearly shocked at his outburst.

But he was too upset to stop.

“Let me just make myself clear – one more time,” he said coldly. “My dad isn’t dying, but my family still needs me. I’m not taking over the business, but I am not interested in the job you’re offering either. I am going to stay here. I’m going to be there when my family needs me, and I’m going to start a new business of my own. I am done travelling!” 

He stood up and stalked away from the two women, trying to get his raging emotions under control. 

But the anger was mostly directed at himself he realized, as he stared out over the sea below, blood pounding in his ears. 

Had he really been acting like that much of an ass? Had he been that selfish all these years? Callous and uncaring? He certainly seemed to have given Denise the impression that he didn’t care about his family at all….

Can stared unseeingly towards the horizon, anger and self-doubt tearing at him. 

The women had fallen silent behind him. 

He had no idea how much time had passed, but eventually he felt a tentative touch on his arm. A whiff of her scent carried on the wind. 

Her arm crept around his waist and he automatically pulled her against his side, bending down to press a kiss to the top of her head.

He felt his shoulders relax, and he breathed out.

Distantly he heard the slamming of a car door, followed by an engine revving. Moments later the sound of crunching gravel faded, and the only sound was his own breathing and the wind whipping around them, rustling their clothes.


	28. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanem is super frustrated with Can's attitude towards Denise and tries to find out more about the story behind Denise' behaviour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay with this chapter. I've been down with a flu that has taken forever to get over, but I think I'm finally ready to get back to life now - and to my story :-)   
This chapter ran a bit long because I needed to set up a bunch of things that will happen in the next two chapters.

Sanem was in a foul mood. She was irritable and she had no one to take it out on. 

For some reason that seemed to make it worse!

Not that she usually took it out on innocent bystanders when she was in a mood. In fact, Zoe always chided her for being almost too polite, bottling up her frustration and letting her aggravation simmer till she got home and could yell at the walls. 

But at least she normally had to option to be a bitch. 

Now, the only living beings around were the sea gulls gathering on the beach, and they were perfectly indifferent to her existence. 

Besides, screaming at a bird didn’t seem like a very satisfying outlet, she thought a little petulantly, stabbing her pen at the piece of paper she was currently doodling on. 

The paper tore a little and with a disgusted grunt, Sanem threw down her pen. 

Feeling illogically put-upon, she crumbled up the paper and tossed it in the general direction of the trash bin. The shot went wide, and with an exasperated sigh, she closed her laptop with just a little too much force. 

She immediately felt ashamed of her childish behavior and almost apologized to the dumb piece of electronics. In the end, she settled for just checking that she hadn’t done any actual damage. Then she went to pick up the ball of paper and dropped it in the trash. 

This was not working, she decided, frowning at the half full coffee mug she’d left on the counter. The coffee had long since gone cold. 

With a resigned sigh, she poured the coffee down the drain and rinsed out the mug. 

There was no way she was going to get any writing done with the way this day was going. And considering that Can was gone for the next three days, it was shaping up to be one very long crap-fest, she thought dejectedly, leaning on the counter, staring out the window. 

Clouds were scurrying across the sky at high speed today, and a smudge of dark grey was forming on the horizon. The wind had picked up even more since yesterday and the temperature seemed to have dropped a few degrees too, giving the air a raw chill it hadn’t had for weeks. Enough that she’d dug out her favorite gray Yale hoodie again this morning. 

She shivered involuntarily and stuffed her hands deep into the pockets of the hoodie, as she stared down at the bay. 

Big waves kept rolling in, crashing onto the sand and causing huge bursts of spray where they slammed into the rocks at the far end of the beach. 

Yeah, the recent summer-like weather was definitely taking a break today, she thought, hugging herself tight, as much for comfort as for warmth. 

Then she shuffled back to her chair and flopped down in front of her laptop with about as much enthusiasm as a teenager sitting down to do homework.  
She lifted the lid on her laptop a fraction. Then she shut it again, drumming her fingers on top with a thoughtful frown. She needed something to take her mind off things, she decided. 

And by ‘things’ she meant Can. 

And Denise. 

And everything that was going on. 

Well, okay, so maybe not Can exactly, she retracted her thoughts, drawing invisible patterns on the closed laptop with her finger. 

She liked thinking about him. 

She probably liked it a little too much, considering how often he intruded on her work and her writing, she thought with a self-conscious smile.

But that wasn’t the sort of thoughts she’d been bogged down by this morning. Today’s mental trip-ups had not been the happy, dreamy, rose-colored thoughts that made her heart skip a beat and her stomach flutter, like a million butterflies were having a party in there. 

And it hadn’t been that other type of thought either. The ones that caused her belly to tighten and her body to go all warm and tingly, she thought, feeling heat rush into her cheeks. 

No, today her mind was wrestling with the things Denise had told her yesterday and even more with what had been implied. 

As much as she didn’t want to believe the redhead, she couldn’t ignore that there was obviously a much more complicated history between Can and his editor than she’d realized at first. 

Now she kept coming back to this feeling that she was somehow missing the full picture and it was driving her nuts! It was like running through a minefield, she decided, knowing that at some point, her next step was bound to make something go boom! And she had no way of knowing which step was going to be that step.

But if she was being totally honest, Denise and her hints about her relationship with Can wasn’t even at the top of her mental block this morning. 

No, number one on her shit-list today was actually Can’s attitude. 

Sanem started twisting a lock of hair round her finger as she stared into space.

After Denise had left yesterday, he’d been very quiet and contemplative. He’d seemed lost in thought for a long time, as if he was trying to figure something out. And she’d let him be, thinking that he’d talk to her once he got things sorted out in his head. 

But then he’d pulled a typical ‘man-handling’ of the whole thing! 

“So typical,” she muttered. “The man comes to some sort of conclusion in that too gorgeous head of his and is ready to move on as if nothing has happened!”

She made an exasperated sound and leaned back in the chair.

Can had apparently been satisfied with whatever resolution he’d reached, and when she’d tried talking to him about it, he’d just waved the whole thing off. He’d seemed perfectly content that the whole Denise-debacle was over and done with! He’d said his piece, and it was now a closed chapter, nothing more to be said or done. 

It was absolutely infuriating, Sanem thought, grinding her teeth in frustration. 

He’d seemed more concerned with some sudden insight into his own past behavior, although she wasn’t entirely sure what that was all about, because - hello! - he wasn’t sharing that with her either!

Sanem glared at the laptop in front of her as it was somehow responsible for her lack of information. 

But whatever his introspection had been about, he’d snapped out of it pretty quickly. And he’d been happy to forget about it all and spend the evening cuddling with her on the couch, watching a movie and sneaking kisses whenever he could. 

Which was totally unfair and sneaky behavior on his part, she thought grumpily. 

Not that she was complaining about the cuddling and the kissing - she definitely wasn’t’ - but she wanted answers, and she wouldn’t put it past him to have distracted her on purpose.

Argh! She hated this feeling of being in the dark, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

But last night she hadn’t been able to pin him down for a serious talk, and this morning, he had left early to pick up his group, so there was no way to get into it with him until he got back in three days. 

Three days! 

Sanem almost screamed in frustration. She was going to have to sit here and stew for three whole days before she could have it out with him!

And just for the record, no matter what Can said, she did not for a second believe that Denise was going to simply disappear off into the sunset, accepting his ‘thanks, but no thanks’ to the job-offer. The redhead did not strike her as a woman who’d give up easily if there was something she wanted. And Sanem was certain that Denise wanted something. Maybe even several somethings…

No, there was no way the editor had just packed her bags and gone quietly back to New York! And if Can believed that, he was either being incredibly naïve and oblivious to Denise’s determination, or he was somehow blinded by the history he had with this woman. 

Sanem felt like growling out loud in helpless annoyance with the man. 

How was it possible for one person to be so infuriating, stubborn and overbearing and at the same time so incredibly sweet, funny and romantic?

‘You’re forgetting absolutely mind-blowingly hot,’ the voice in the back of her head commented dreamily. 

“That’s not important right now,” she muttered to her own blurry reflection in the window. 

Her inner voice didn’t reply, but she got the distinct impression it was rolling its eyes at her in a ‘yeah, right!’-gesture. 

“And I’m so not having this discussion with my own brain!” she bit out, standing up as if moving away would solve anything. 

She stopped when she reached the door to the hallway, biting her lip indecisively. 

What was she going to do? 

Gee! She would go into town and see Gee. She could take her mind off of this whole mess with the newest installment of harmless island gossip. 

‘And maybe Gee can also shed some light on some of the dark corners of Can’s past with this woman?’ her inner voice piped up suggestively. 

“Yeah, I’m not holding my breath on that one,” she mumbled as she hurried down the hallway to her bedroom. 

She located her white sneakers, grabbed her backpack and made a quick stop in the bathroom to run a brush through her hair and add a dab of soft pink lip balm.   
There! That would have to do. It was just coffee in the village, she thought, rushing out the door, only remembering her windbreaker when the door almost slammed in her face with the force of the wind. 

***

Sanem rested her elbows on the counter and wrapped her legs around the tall bar stool, while she watched Ceycey fiddle with the complicated espresso machine. 

The machine was Gee’s prized possession. It was a huge, candy-apple red monstrosity with lots of shiny chrome bits, and it seemed to randomly spout steam and shrill noises, like a volcano about to erupt. 

Sanem certainly felt safer on this side of the counter, but she had to admit that the fragrant beverages that Gee and Ceycey were able to wrangle from the growling beast of a machine were absolutely heavenly!  
She closed her eyes and took another delicious sip of coffee and tried to relax.

In keeping with the rest of her botched morning, she’d managed to time her arrival at the coffee shop with the influx of the lunch crowd. Gee hadn’t had time for more than a quick hug before she zoomed off to take orders, and Ceycey’s cute but clumsy attempts to be of service to her had been called to a stop, when he was ordered behind the bar to mass-produce coffee for the hungry and caffeine-starved masses. 

But somewhere in between taking orders, passing them on to the kitchen and making the machine growl and steam, he’d fixed Sanem’s favorite coffee and silently pushed it across the counter to her with a shy smile. 

Sanem sighed and took stock of the lunch crowd. 

She’d hoped that Gee could provide her with a much needed distraction from the thoughts that kept going in circles in her head, but it seemed that plan had backfired. Sitting here in the crowded, noisy coffee shop she found herself needing to escape the chaos around her, and the only place to go was inside her own head! 

So, she let her mind wander and of course it automatically drifted to a certain tall, handsom, powerfully built man.   
A man who moved through the world with an intriguing mixture of strength and innate grace. A man with dark brown eyes that could make your breath catch in your throat when they focused on you, or turn your knees to jelly when they grew almost black with passion.   
A man who could make you forget your own name with a kiss… 

Sanem sighed audibly and propped her chin on one hand, as her mind replayed their goodbye kiss this morning. 

'...  
Can reached up with both hands, cupping her face in his hands. His thumbs caressed her cheeks, his dark eyes seeming to gauge her state of mind. He clearly knew that she wasn’t happy with him right now, but she also suspected that he knew only too well how to make her forget about it.   
He was looking down at her with that lopsided smile. The one that etched out an irresistible dimple in his cheek and made her stomach do flips. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes, like he could read her mind. 

She should be pulling away...

His smile softened. 

She should remember that she was angry with him…

He was looking at her like she was the sun and the moon…and his favorite treat all rolled into one. 

She should absolutely not give in to him…

His breath was getting heavier and his eyes grew darker.

Oh, but he would be gone for so long and she so wanted him to kiss her… 

He started leaning in and she felt herself sway towards him, her lips parting of their own volition. He made a low growling sound as his eyes fixed on her parted lips, and he licked his own lips, making her swallow hard.   
And then it was too late.   
His lips were on hers. His tongue delving possessively into her mouth, pulling back out, the tip of his tongue languidly tracing the curve of her bottom lip, teasing her, playfully getting closer, then pulling back, soft, then harder, slowly driving her crazy, until she couldn’t help but lift up on her toes, arms locking around his neck as she pulled herself tight against his body.   
And then he stopped teasing her. One arm wound around her waist hauling her body closer still, his fingers tangling almost painfully in her hair, as he kissed her in a way that made her forget about breathing. She heard herself moan softly, as she gave herself over to sensation. The feel of his lips on hers. His beard scratching her skin. The taste of him on her tongue. His breath in her mouth. His scent in her nose. He was everywhere, invading all her senses and somewhere along the way she’d forgotten why she was supposed to put a stop to this….   
...'

“Well, this must be my lucky day,” a deep voice rumbled next to her. 

Sanem gasped as she was abruptly pulled out of her vivid daydream.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you there,” Jake chuckled good-naturedly as he climbed the bar stool next to hers. 

“No, no, it’s okay,” she muttered, desperately hoping her face didn’t show where her mind had just been at. 

“I was just…you know, far away,” she added with a small wave of her hand, feeling her cheeks heat. She quickly looked away from his penetrating blue gaze and busied herself with her almost empty mug. 

“Yeah, I can see that.” He smiled easily and turned to wave at Gee, who was rushing by with a loaded tray. 

“So, what brings you to town today?” he asked casually, signaling Ceycey for a black coffee. 

“Oh, you know, I just came in to have a chat with Gee,” Sanem shrugged and fiddled with her mug. “But I guess my timing is off,” she added with a sigh, indicating the packed room. 

“Don’t worry, it’ll die down in no time,” Jake assured her. “Keep me company while you wait?” he asked hopefully.

“Sure,” she said. “I’d be happy to.”

Jake’s sea-blue eyes twinkled playfully and he laughed.

“You know, I’ve got to take advantage whenever I catch you without that bear of an overprotective boyfriend of yours,” he said and winked at her conspiratorially. 

Sanem’s eyes snapped to his, a slightly alarmed look on her face.

“Take advantage of the chance to talk to you, I mean!” he added with a disarming smile. “Usually, I get the feeling I risk losing an arm if I say hello,” he added drily.

Sanem laughed a little sheepishly.

“Yeah, he seems to be under the impression that you’re somehow irresistible to all women, and he gets really grouchy when he thinks you pay me too much attention,” she said with a giggle.

“Woah! Wait a minute, are you saying I’m not irresistible to you?” Jake said in a fake-hurt voice. “Ouch!”

Sanem couldn’t help laughing at his outrageous act. 

No matter what Can thought about his friend’s philandering ways, she really liked Jake. He was obviously a flirt, but somehow, she knew he’d never cross the line with her. In fact, she had a feeling that even though he liked his image as the island bad-boy, deep down he was actually a decent guy, and she very much doubted he’d ever do anything dishonest. And certainly not where his friend was concerned. 

So she settled in for a chat, thankful for the distraction. 

And just like that, her day suddenly got better. 

Sitting there in the noisy coffee shop, chatting with Jake about nothing and everything, Gee rushing by to throw in a word once in a while, and Ceycey staring at her with puppy-like adoration whenever she looked his way, she felt oddly at home. 

By the time the lunch crowd dispersed, Sanem had all but forgotten about this morning’s gloom and doom-mood. 

The shop had once again turned quiet and cozy, like a private living room only with amazing smells of coffee and baked goods. Only a few of the regulars remained, nursing giant coffees while reading or working quietly on laptops. 

Gee untied her baby blue apron and hung it on a hook next to the kitchen door. 

“I’m taking five, Ceycey,” she called over her shoulder as she came around the counter to properly hug Sanem.

“Sorry about that, sweetie,” she said with a brilliant smile. “You just caught me at our busiest.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Sanem laughed. “Don’t apologize. I should have realized it would be busy here at this hour. I just had too much going in in here,” she said indicating her head. 

Gee gave her a shrewd look and raised a questioning eyebrow at Jake. Jake just shrugged in return and finished his coffee.

“Right, why don’t I get us all some more coffee and something to munch on and then you can tell me all about whatever it is that’s eating you up today,” Gee said cheerfully, resolutely linking her arm through Sanem’s and steering her towards a group of easy chairs around a low table. 

Gee unceremoniously pushed her down in one of the overstuffed chairs and hurried off for provisions, obviously eager to get started on a round of 20 questions.  
Jake followed at a more leisurely pace and dropped into the chair next to hers. 

“You do realize that she’s going to keep you tied to that chair until you’ve told her your deepest, darkest secrets, right?” he said with a grin, casually propping one foot on the low table.

“I’m starting to get that feeling, yeah,” Sanem said with growing trepidation. But then she straightened her spine as much as the comfy chair would allow. 

Maybe coming to Gee for information was going to backfire spectacularly, but she had to do something to get to the bottom of this, since Can wasn’t talking right now. And if the price was letting Gee in on a few personal details, then so be it.

“Just a fair warning,” Jake drawled. “Especially since your Knight in shining armor is out playing Indianan Jones with the tourists right now, so no help is forthcoming from that direction,” he joked.

“And you’re not going to offer your services?” she asked lightly.

“Me?” he threw his head back, laughing.   
“Sanem, I may be reckless but I’m not stupid. Getting between Gee and the possibility of a juicy slice of gossip is like getting between a shark and a rare steak! Not good for your health.”

He shook his head. 

“But I’ll stick around for the show…and to offer moral support of course,” he grinned, resting one arm casually along the back of the easy chair. 

“Some friend you are!” she muttered just loud enough for him to hear. 

He just chuckled and sat up to help Ceycey, who’d arrived with a tray of fresh coffees. 

“Aaaaand here we are,” Gee’s voice trilled as she plunked a platter of cookies and finger sandwiches down on the table and dropped into the remaining vacant chair.

As soon as Ceycey had shuffled off to collect empty mugs and plates left over from the lunch crowd, Gee tugged her legs up under her and turned to face Sanem with an expectant look on her face.

“So,” she said. “Spill!”

Sanem suddenly felt nervous. It was one thing to mull over all the different paranoid ideas her brain was spouting in the quiet of her own home…or the professor’s as it were. But it was quite another thing to say them out loud in front of an audience.   
She took a deep breath and picked up her coffee. She didn’t drink, but just turned the mug around a few times staring into the caramel-colored depths. The warm mug felt good between her hands. 

“Well,” she began, “I might just be seeing ghosts, but I’m a little worried about something…someone actually, and I was hoping maybe you knew something that might help.”

“Ah! Bad luck Gee,” Jake chuckled. “She’s here to get information – not give it.” 

He winked at Sanem.

Gee just stuck her tongue out at him and returned her attention to Sanem, looking intrigued and possibly even more ravenous for her to open up than she did before.   
But Jake’s irreverent attitude made Sanem relax again and she shot him a grateful look. 

“It’s about Denise,” she said with a big exhale. And then she quickly filled them in on the editor’s proposal to Can, her visit to the house and finally her vague hints at favors rendered in the past. 

“So that’s what brought her over…” Jake mumbled, as Sanem finished her story.

“Well,” Gee said. “I can tell you right now that you’re not being paranoid about her not giving up. She’s still at the inn and hasn’t given them a check-out date yet. I know because Joe was complaining about it this morning when he picked up their order of croissants,” she said in an aside to Jake. 

“And judging from what I’ve seen of the woman, she’s not easily deterred. She’s a bit of a barracuda isn’t she?” Gee mused, a speculative look on her face.

Then she turned to Jake.

“Jake, you probably know more about her than any of us,” she said, sounding inexplicably annoyed. 

“I mean, you and Can have been close friends for a long time, and you know more about her past relationship with him,” Gee added in a sour tone, when Jake didn’t immediately start talking.

Her tone caused Jake to frown, but then a look of understanding spread on his face and he grinned.

“Ha!” he said gleefully. “It is just eating you up that you’re not as informed about something as I am, isn’t it?” he chuckled. 

Gee looked even more disgruntled at his obvious enjoyment, but she didn’t argue.

“Do you know anything about her, Jake?” Sanem asked, hoping to distract the other two from their gossip-rivalry.

“Well,” he said slowly, turning a serious face her way. “What I do know is that Can has never had any kind of romantic interest I her if that’s what you’re concerned about.” He gave Gee a pointed look. 

“They were never a couple. Just friends. And then later she hooked him up with the free-lance gig,” he continued.

“Yes, I know that part,” Sanem agreed. “Can told me. But yesterday she kept referring to some big favor she’d done for him in the past. She made it sound like he was somehow in her debt or something?”

Jake shook his head slowly.

“Maybe. I don’t know. The only thing I can think of is what happened back when he had the big blow-up with his dad about not entering the family business,” he said speculatively.

“That’s probably it,” Sanem said eagerly. “She mentioned something yesterday when they were talking about his dad...”

The bell over the door jingled as someone entered the coffee shop.

“Well, speak of the devil…” Gee mumbled, pulling a face at the other two.

Sanem’s chair was facing away from the door, so she had to lean around the side of the high-backed easy chair to get a look at the newcomer.  
Denise didn’t even glance in their direction as she walked towards the counter, her high heels making a loud, hollow sound on the old floorboards. She had her phone pressed to her ear and was obviously listening to someone, muttering the occasional ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ in reply to whatever was being said.

She was wearing the same beige trench-coat as yesterday, tightly quenched at the waist. Yesterday’s knee-high boots had been replaced with a pair of bright blue stiletto-pumps, and a giant studded tote bag was tucked under her other arm.

Sanem pulled back around and leaned back in her chair, not quite sure if she wanted to make her presence known to the other woman. The chair completely hid her from view of the counter, so as long as Denise didn’t come their way, she’d never know. 

Gee was following her movements surreptitiously, and was just about to say something when Denise’ voice carried clearly to the trio around the table.

“Turns out he’s got himself a little ‘summer-distraction’,” Denise was saying.   
“Of the ‘5 foot five, dark brown hair’-variety,” she added scornfully.

She was silent for a moment while she listened to someone on the other end. 

“No, I don’t think you have to worry about that. She’s nothing special,” Denise said dismissively. 

Sanem froze in her seat as she realized that the other woman was talking about her.

“I mean, she’s pretty enough I suppose, if you like the ‘fresh-out-of-college-casual’-look,” Denise was saying snarkily. “She’s just this really naïve, academic type, you know?” 

Sanem felt herself blush, getting angrier by the second as she listened to the other woman’s conversation. 

“Although, I will say she does have more backbone than I’d have expected,” Denise was saying with what sounded like reluctant respect. 

Sanem almost snorted as she recalled their previous confrontation in town.

“But she’s not Can’s usual type at all. I’ll have our boy’s signature on the dotted line and back to work in no time,” Denise said in a confident tone. 

Whoever she was talking to, had a lot to say at that point and while Denise listened, she picked up the take-away cup Ceycey was handing her, and headed for the condiment-table. With the phone tucked in between her shoulder and her cheek, she added two packs of sweetener and put the lid back on the cup, crumbling up the empty sweetener-packages in her hand and dropping them on the counter.

“Well, in all honesty, it might take a little more time than that,” she said, leaning one hip on the counter. For the first time she actually sounded a little hesitant, Sanem noticed.

“No, it’s just that I can’t actually reach him for the next three days. He’s off on some camping trip-thing in the wilderness, whatever that means. But he’ll be back in a few days. I’ll have everything ready by then.” Denise was back to sounding confident and in control. 

“Yes, I know, it’s not ideal, but I’m managing. The Inn is not exactly the Ritz but it’s actually surprisingly comfortable, and most importantly, the WiFi works.”

Denise laughed that husky laugh of hers at something the other person was saying. Then she pushed the strap of her tote up on her shoulder, grabbed the coffee and turned for the door. 

She hadn’t even glanced in their direction once since stepping foot in the coffee shop, Sanem realized in equal parts amazement and relief.

The door closed with a tinkling sound from the bell and the group around the table stared at each other in stunned silence for a few moments. 

“Well, she’s obviously not familiar with island life,” Jake finally said, breaking the silence.

“None of the locals would ever have a private phone-conversation in here. At least not if they wanted it to stay private,” he mused.

“But I guess that answered some of your questions, Sanem,” Gee said with a frown. “You’re obviously not being paranoid, and she’s clearly not giving up.”

‘And apparently I’m not Can’s type,’ she thought in a daze, only half listening as the other two started discussing what should be done about the editor. 

***

Sanem moved around in a daze as she did a final check of the house, making sure all doors and windows were securely locked. 

She studiously ignored any thoughts popping into her head, and systematically stamped out any flicker of emotion trying to register, to the point where even the voice in the back of her head had been silenced.

Moving as if on autopilot, she went into her bedroom and picked up a baby blue roll-neck sweater that she pulled on over her long-sleeved t-shirt instead of the hoodie. Then she exchanged her sneakers for a pair of light-weight hiking boots that she dug out from the bottom of her closet. She finished by tying her hair in a bun on top of her head.

In the kitchen she worked her way through the cupboards, picking up snacks and a few bottles of water. She put everything in her backpack along with her notebook and an extra scarf in case she got cold. 

She hefted the backpack over one shoulder, wincing slightly as the heavier-than-usual bag settled on her shoulder. 

Had she overdone it with the provisions? she wondered briefly. 

But then she decided the bag would be fine as soon as she put it on properly, distributing the weight more evenly. 

In the hallway she carefully zipped up her white windbreaker, automatically reached out to grab her car keys on the way out, and let the door slam behind her. 

She marched to her car, hardly even noticing the gusts of wind attempting to blow her off course. 

She threw the backpack on the passenger seat and buckled up. 

The map she’d found in the professor’s desk had clearly shown which route to take to get to the trailhead, and she felt confident she could find her way there. The map was tucked away in her backpack, but her mind had it on perfect replay down to the tiniest detail.

She pulled out onto the main road and started the climb up to where the mountain road began. 

It wasn’t until the trees finally closed in on either side of the road, blocking her view of the ocean that Sanem blew out a huge breath of air, and let herself relax a little. 

She’d needed this, she realized.   
She’d needed to get away from the house, the cottage, everything that reminded her of Can.   
She’d needed fresh air and new scenery, or she would have driven herself crazy with worry and speculation, long before his return. 

The road in front of her was surprisingly dark for this time in the afternoon, she noticed as she nearly missed her turn. The trees must be blocking out a lot of light, she thought, squinting through the sudden gloom. 

But it would probably get better once she was out of the car and on the trail, she decided. 

Sanem felt a flicker of excitement at the novelty of what she was doing. 

Can had taken her hiking several times already, and she’d really enjoyed being out with him like that. She was used to her aunt and uncle’s little cottage in the woods, but hiking had never really been a big part of going there. So, going with Can had been exciting and she’d loved seeing him in his element, seeing the passion he clearly had for the outdoors and anything living. 

On the map he’d shown her some longer trails that he’d said he’d take her on later on in the summer.

But as she was driving back from town today, Denise’ words kept running through her head, over and over.   
‘She’s not his type’…’summer distraction’…’naïve, fresh out of college’…

She’d decided then and there that she needed something to take her mind off that woman and what her words had implied. 

And no matter how much Gee and Jake had assured her that Denise was mistaken, she had insisted she needed some time alone to think and regroup. 

And that’s when the idea had come to her. 

She would go on a good long hike!

She would see some more of this beautiful island, get some fresh air and exercise. 

And hopefully it would be a distraction from the devastating pain and heartache that suddenly seemed a frighteningly real possibility in her near future. 

Her vision suddenly blurred as fresh tears flooded her eyes. 

Sanem angrily slammed her hand on the wheel, willing the tears to go away. 

In the coffee shop she’d felt a brief moment of hopelessness as Denise’ words had made her compare her own appearance in the soft, faded skinny jeans, her comfy Yale hoodie and white sneakers, to Denise’ stylish elegance. She couldn’t help but wonder what Can saw in her if he was used to dating women like Denise. 

But then she’d given herself a mental shake and dismissed that thought.

She may not be decked out in skin-tight dresses and towering heels, and she may not be the sophisticated, worldly type like Denise or the glitzy New York elite that was somehow part of Can’s birthright. 

But she was not just some naïve little girl, who was going to go down without a fight! 

And she was most definitely not going to sit around at home, feeling sorry for herself for three whole days while she waited for him to come back and solve her problems. 

Sanem nodded decisively to herself, wiping a trace of a tear off her cheek with the back of her hand. 

Then she slowed down as she spotted the sign for the parking area by the trailhead up ahead. 

She pulled onto the narrow gravel road, which was really almost a trail itself, and bumped along for about half a mile before reaching the parking area. The track was so full of potholes and so overgrown in places that it took all her concentration just to stay on it. 

When it finally opened up to the parking area marked on her map, there were no marked booths, just an irregular grassy square opening in the trees. Tire tracks were etched in the dried-up mud here and there where the grass was worn down. At the furthest end of the open area she spotted a hand-painted wooden sign, marking the entrance to the trail. 

There were no other cars around, so Sanem pulled up close to the trailhead and turned the engine off. 

In the sudden silence the wind sounded a lot louder than it had before, howling through the trees, whipping the smaller ones in crazy dance moves, and pushing the bigger ones into swaying, creaking motion. 

Sanem got out of the car, surprised at how much force she had to put into opening her car door, with the wind pushing against it. 

She pulled her backpack out and put it on, tightening the straps properly this time for more support. Then she locked the car and took stock of the trailhead.

Coming up here had the added bonus of being sure to avoid Denise, she decided happily, as she looked around. The editor had developed an annoying habit of popping up everywhere, but she was definitely no hiker, judging by her choice of footwear, so this trail should be safe from her, Sanem figured a little smugly.

An extra powerful gust of wind pushed her against the side of her car and had her looking up at the sky. She frowned a little at the dark clouds racing by overhead. It seemed that the gloomy drive up here hadn’t just been because of the trees. She’d just been too preoccupied to notice how overcast it had gotten. She looked around and for the first time she really took notice of how much the wind had actually picked up. This seemed like more than just the strong winds they’d been having the past few days. 

Sanem stood indecisively for a moment. Should she head back and postpone her hike till tomorrow? 

But she’d already come all the way up here and she really needed the head-cleanse!

She could just do part of the hike, she argued with herself. Just an hour and then she’d head back. It was getting kind of late in the day, so she wouldn’t have time to do the whole thing anyway. 

Yeah, she would just be extra careful, and make sure to head back if things started getting worse. Besides, there would be more shelter from the wind between the trees, she figured, as she set off down the trail at a brisk pace.


	29. Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm hits and Can comes home only to realize that Sanem isn't there...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So i found the time to write this week...and this is again a bit loner than I had intended but a lot needed to happen in this chapter :-)

The call came in just as Can was getting the group settled for a lunchbreak by a small creek. He stepped away from the group and moved into the middle of the small clearing while he listened to the voice on the other end. 

Moving further into the open, he noticed how dark it had gotten in the woods. 

It was only just past noon, but between the trees it already felt more like dusk. 

He looked up at the sky again. He had been checking at regular intervals during the morning’ s hike, growing more and more concerned as it had gotten steadily darker. At first the clear sunlight had taken on a sort of sickly yellow tinge, before being blotted out by cloud-cover, and by now the sky had turned an angry, dark-grey almost violet color. The clouds flying by at high speed overhead looked heavy with rain or something even worse. 

Can frowned at the ominous sky and took note of the wildly swaying treetops being whipped around in the strong wind.

He’d had a tingle of unease even before they set out from the main camp mid-morning. Winds had already been picking up and the temperature had dropped another degree since yesterday. But the sky had been clear and a quick call to the local weather services had assured him that the front was passing them by way out over sea. They might get some stronger than usual winds, but it was nothing so alarming that they needed to think about calling off the trip. 

Still, he’d put in a request to be alerted to any major changes in the forecast just to be safe.

And it looked like he’d been right to. 

“Right, thank you,” Can said. “So how bad do you expect it to get?” he asked the local operations officer, who’d called with the forecast update.

“It’s been changing rapidly over the past few hours,” the officer explained. “And the really bad news is that it’s changed direction. Before it looked like we were just getting the edges of it as it passed by, but now it’s coming directly at us, so you should expect it to escalate quickly over the next three to four hours. At this point forecast is for a category 2 but it’s still building. We could be looking at a category 3 within the next 24 hours,” the man added in a serious voice.

Can felt a chill running down his spine as he looked over at his small group of happily chatting hikers. 

There were only five people in this group but none of them had any real hiking experience or survival skills. They were oblivious to the very real danger the approaching ocean storm could present as they sat munching on their sandwiches, completely confident in his ability to keep them safe. 

As luck would have it, they’d had a late start this morning because one of the guys had had an issue with his backpack, so they hadn’t gotten as far as they normally would at this point. It had been a concern for him in terms of reaching the campsite in time for making camp tonight, but now it was turning out to be a blessing in disguise. 

“Listen up guys,” he called out as soon as he’d ended the call with weather services.   
“Bad news I’m afraid,” he said looking around at their upturned faces.  
“It looks like there’s a big storm coming our way and we need to get back to the main camp before it hits.”

A chorus of voices hit him as all five of them started talking, some of them protesting, some of them asking questions.

“I’m really sorry guys, but these storms coming in off the ocean are unpredictable and they can get really bad. It’s just not safe to continue on and camp out in the mountains when this kind of weather hits,” he explained calmly.   
“But don’t worry, I’ll get you back to camp in plenty of time, and if it blows over quickly, we can try again tomorrow. If not, you’ll obviously get a refund or you can reschedule a new trip, whatever suits you,” he added, relieved that his voice didn’t betray his growing apprehension. 

Even though they hadn’t gotten far, they still had a few hours hike back to camp, and things were going to get a lot worse before they reached the safety of the main camp.

But his serious tone seemed to have had the desired effect.   
The group abandoned their lunch and quickly gathered their things. Within five minutes he had them packed up and back on the trail, heading back down the mountain. 

As they made their way back along the trail, Can couldn’t help but notice the stark contrast to the hike up. 

The morning had been full of happy chatter and excited discoveries, with little detours off the track to look at wildlife and pretty flowers.  
But the return trip was turning into a much more grim and hushed affair, as he hustled the small group back down the trail, trying to out-run the approaching storm. 

The darkness between the trees was soon making it harder to see the trail, and the increasing groaning and creaking noises from the trees being whipped by the wind was a constant reminder of the need to hurry. 

But to their credit, no one in the group complained about the forced speed. They had all gone quiet and were silently following his lead. 

About an hour into the return hike Can felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. 

The sound of the wind was so loud at this point he probably wouldn’t have noticed it ringing if he hadn’t felt the vibrations. 

It was actually surprising that a call was getting through at all, he thought as he saw Jake’s face light up the screen. 

“Jake?” Can yelled over the noise of the wind, as he answered without stopping.  
“Can! Thank God you have reception,” Jake said.  
“Yeah, well, I’m as surprised as you,” Can said, sidestepping a fallen branch, and making sure his group all got around it safely.   
“I doubt it’ll last very long, so if you’re calling to warn me about the storm, I already know. We’re on our way back to camp right now,” he shouted.  
“We’re probably about half an hour out,” he added.   
“Good,” Jake said. Then he started saying something more but the connection went dead. 

Can shrugged and stuffed the phone back in his pocket. He’d gotten the message through that they were safe, so Jake wouldn’t be sending out a rescue team.   
But his phone vibrated again almost immediately.

“Yeah,” he shouted, as he answered.  
“Can…” Jake’s voice came though fine this time. “Just in case I can’t get through later, there’s something you need to know,” he said, his voice sounding a little strained, Can noticed.   
“What’s up?” he asked.

There was a slight pause and for a second Can thought the connection had died again. Then Jake’s voice was back.

“I realize that this is not the best time to bring it up, but …it’s kind of important,” Jake was saying earnestly.  
“What’s wrong?” Can asked with a frown.  
“When you get the group settled in back at the main camp, don’t worry about spending the evening there to take care of them, okay?” Jake said. “I know it’s protocol but…you really need to get home and talk to Sanem.”  
“Why? What’s wrong?” Can said, a sudden sense of foreboding trickled down his spine like a drop of icy water.  
“Sanem was in town today and…something happened,” Jake explained. “It’s about Denise. Sanem is pretty freaked out about the whole situation, and from what I heard today…with good reason.”

Can sighed in frustration and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his free hand. He really didn’t need any more of this Denise-nonsense, and now was definitely not the time! 

“I’m serious,” Jake continued, as if he could read Can’s mind.   
“That redhead is trouble Can. And if you’re serious about Sanem, you need to take this Denise-thing seriously too.”  
“Look, Jake, can we talk about this later…” Can began, but Jake interrupted him before he got any further.  
“Can, I know you think Denise is your friend, and that you have her handled, but believe me, you don’t! We overheard her saying some things in town today and…just get home and talk to Sanem, okay?” Jake finished.   
“Yeah, yeah, sure, I’ll talk to her,” Can said and hurried to end the call. 

As he refocused on his group’s slow progress through the darkening woods, he shook his head in disbelief. 

Had Jake been drinking? He hadn’t sounded drunk but the whole conversations just struck him as bizarre and almost surreal.

How could a message to get home and talk to Sanem possibly be so important, that Jake felt the need to call about it, when he knew that Can was in the middle of evacuating a group of people from an oncoming storm? 

But a vague premonition had him picking up speed and urging his hikers to go faster.

As they continued to make their way down the mountain, Can found he almost missed the group’s chatter and questions from this morning. 

Even with the strain of ensuring everybody’s safe passage down the rough trail, the silence was giving him too much free headspace to keep mulling over Jake’s call. 

And the more he thought about it, the more confused and frustrated he got. 

First, there was a flash of irrational anger with Jake for butting in on his personal affairs. 

Then he felt a little hurt and annoyed that Sanem had resorted to talking to Jake about problems that should be strictly between the two of them. 

‘Yeah, but to be fair, she did try talking to you about it last night, but you blew her off, remember?’ the voice in the back of his head helpfully reminded him.   
Can clenched his teeth, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the truth of that. 

The point was that this whole affair with Denise was nobody else’s business and certainly not Jake’s! 

‘Oooh, I don’t know about that,’ his inner voice butted in again. ‘It affects Sanem too, so shouldn’t she have a right to take an interest? Or are you perhaps just being jealous because she went to Jake for help?’   
Can silently growled at his own thoughts, slamming a mental lid on all further speculation and re-focusing on the task at hand.

His first priority was getting this group of people back to the main camp safely. 

He could worry about the rest later! 

But even as he pushed the group along, helping whenever anyone needed a hand, he couldn’t quite keep the occasional flash of trepidation at bay. 

What could possibly have Jake so spooked about Denise that it could warrant a call in the middle of a storm-evacuation?

And on top of that, his previous sense of foreboding still lingered, growing into a steady trickle of uneasiness, building up to a feeling that something was very, very wrong.

***

Can pulled up in front of the house and killed the engine. His inner alarm had been growing persistently louder as he neared home. And now, as he watched the two dark buildings from the relative protection of his car, the alarm had reached a deafening crescendo.   
He drummed his fingers on the wheel as he tried to pin down what was causing this feeling.

The entire hike back to camp his anxiety-levels had been steadily building.   
He hadn’t been able to shake it, even when the group had made it back to the main camp without incident. Everybody was now safe and warm in their small cabins, a little rattled and tired from the forced hike back maybe, but with an exciting tale to tell once they got back home. 

But this weird premonition had only gotten worse on the drive home. 

Can frowned into the murky semidarkness surrounding the car.

And then he realized what was wrong with the picture in front of him. 

His own house was dark of course, but why were there no lights on in the cottage? 

Granted, it was only around five in the afternoon, but the stormy skies were dark and threatening, and the first icy drops of rain had started falling. It would definitely be necessary to turn on lights to see in doors, so why was the cottage dark? 

Could she still be in town? he wondered.

But Jake hadn’t mentioned that Sanem was staying in town. He’d said to go home and talk to her… 

Staring through the gloom towards the dark outline of the cottage, he felt a chill, like someone had traced an icy finger down his spine. 

He knew from past experience that parts of the island would be inaccessible during weather like this and he felt certain that the roads into town would be closing in a few hours if they weren’t already. The winds had already reached a level that had made the drive home an exercise in caution and he was exhausted from the effort.

Now, he squinted through the gloom trying to make out if her car was there. He couldn’t tell, but he was getting a really bad feeling about this. 

‘She could just be asleep,’ his inner voice suggested. ‘Don’t go digging out all the worst-case scenarios right away. Just go check on her.’   
Yes, he reminded himself. There could be a million reasons why the cottage was dark.   
It could just be the compressor acting up again, he tried telling himself.

And this weird feeling he’d been having the past couple of hours could just be a product of his overactive imagination, coupled with the heightened alert a storm like this always generated on the island. 

But somehow, he didn’t think so. 

Somehow, he just knew something wasn’t right. 

Can had to brace against the force of the winds trying to knock him over as soon as he stepped out of the car and slammed the door. 

With a silent oath he bent into the wind and half-ran towards the cottage.   
He ran straight up the steps to her front porch and banged both fists on the door, with enough force to rattle the door in its frame. 

“Sanem!” he yelled, knowing that his voice probably wouldn’t carry over the sound of the storm. 

He banged again. 

Nothing happened.

He fumbled in his pocket for his phone, hoping to find a message from her, telling him where she was.

Nothing. 

Not from her. 

Not from anybody.

Can made his way around the cottage, peering in all the windows, but it was difficult to make out anything through the gathering darkness. 

And all the while his gut was telling him that she wasn’t in there.

Her car! He suddenly remembered. 

Where was her car? He hadn’t seen it anywhere. 

So maybe she had stayed in town after all? he thought with a glimmer of hope.

After another quick look around the cottage, he hurried back to the main house. 

As soon as he got inside and closed the door, blocking out some of the noise from the storm, he called her.

“The number you have called cannot be reached. Please try again later,” a tinny, recorded voice said. 

Can growled in frustration and tried again. 

Same result. 

He wiped a hand over his face and tried Jake’s number instead.

This time the call went through. 

“Can?” Jake’s voice sounded pretty normal, he noticed with faint relief. No evidence of panic there.  
“Jake, I’ve just gotten home,” he said. “But Sanem isn’t here. Did she decide to stay in town? Is she there with you?”

There was a long pause and Can checked his display to make sure he hadn’t lost the connection.

“She’s not there?” Jake said in a somber tone.  
“No, the cottage is dark, and her car isn’t here. I just thought she might have decided to stay in town what with the storm coming and me being away, you know?” he said.

“She probably wouldn’t have thought to leave a message for me, since she expected me to be gone for the next few days,” he continued, painfully aware that his growing concern was turning him into a babbling mess.

“Can, I’m sorry, I haven’t seen her since lunchtime,” Jake said slowly. 

“We were at Gee’s and Sanem left before me, because she wanted some alone time after what happened with De…never mind, that’s not important right now,” Jake’s voice trailed off.

“Maybe try and call Gee?” Jake suggested. “I left soon after Sanem, but maybe she went back?”

“Yeah, maybe,” Can said, unconvinced. 

But it was worth a try, he figured. Besides, he had no idea where else to turn, so he quickly ended the call with Jake and punched in Gee’s number.

“Gee, is Sanem with you?” he asked without preamble, as soon as Gee’s chipper voice answered.

“Can? Is that you? Aren’t you supposed to be out camping?” Gee asked cheerfully. “Oh, right. I guess you’re back because of the storm,” she answered her own question without waiting for a reply.

“Yes, but listen, Gee, is Sanem with you?” he repeated impatiently.

“No, why would she be with me?” Gee said. “She left hours ago.”

Can closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing for a second.

“Okay, did she say where she was going, Gee?” he asked through clenched teeth.

“Well, home I suppose,” Gee said as if that should be obvious.

“Oh, but wait!” she added before he had a chance to say anything. 

Can’s head snapped up and he stared unseeingly at his own blurry reflection in the dark windowpane in front of him, as he waited for Gee to continue.

“She left here around one o’clock, and I texted her about half an hour later asking if she wanted me to come out to keep her company…you know, after what happened with Denise,” Gee was saying.

For a brief moment Can felt like screaming. If he heard one more mention of Denise he was going to kill someone! Who cared about Denise at a time like this? Why were they all so hung up on Denise? Didn’t they understand that Sanem was missing? 

“But she texted me back that she’d decided to go on a hike to clear her head,” Gee finished sounding pleased with her own explanation.

“What?” Can snapped incredulously. “She went on a hike?” 

“Well, no, I’m sure she didn’t actually go once the storm started rolling in,” Gee replied easily. 

Can pressed two fingers to his temple, rubbing small circles to ease the tension that was building rapidly.

“Gee,” he said, trying very hard not to yell. “What exactly did Sanem say in that message?” 

“Uh…let me just check,” Gee mumbled. 

He could hear noise as she put him on speaker and started fiddling with her phone.

“Right, here we go,” she muttered.

“The message said, ‘Raincheck? Am going on a hike. Need to clear my head.’ That’s it,” Gee finished.

Can had to count to ten before speaking so he wouldn’t bite her head off.

“What time was this, Gee?” he asked tersely.

“The message was sent a little before two o’clock,” she replied.

“Can, what’s going on?” she asked finally catching on to his mood. 

“Sanem hasn’t come home, and her car isn’t here,” he said darkly. “I think she did go on that hike, and she hasn’t made it back,” he finished. 

“What? Oh my God!” Gee exclaimed, immediately going into panic-mode. 

And then she started talking.   
She went from zero to sixty, babbling a mile a minute about what might have happened, every worst-case scenario imaginable, the need for emergency rescue teams, calling the police, notifying her family and a million other things.

“Gee!” Can tried to stem her flow of words before she could start talking about making arrangements for a funeral. 

“Huh?” Gee said finally shutting up. 

“Did Sanem mention anything about which trail she was going to hike?” he asked. 

The line went silent for a brief moment, as if Gee was trying to make sense of his words.

“Uhm…well, yeah, she did mention something…let me just check…”

“Check?” Can asked confused. “Check what? Gee did the message say more? Was there more?”

“Well not to that message,” Gee said vaguely. “But we texted a bit more because I was trying to convince her to skip the hike and let me come out for a girl’s night, you know?”

Can closed his eyes and counted to ten, reminding himself that killing Gee would not be helpful right now. 

“Gee would you please just read out all the messages you got from her today?” he said in a tight voice. 

“Just hang on, I’m scrolling…” she mumbled, making him want to scream out loud.

“Okay, here we go,” she finally said. “If you’d just told me from the start that she was missing, I’d have thought to check, you know?” she added as if it was somehow his fault.

“Gee!” he snapped, silently cursing the limitations of a phone call when you really wanted to throttle somebody.

“All right, all right. Okay…let’s see. She mentioned two trails…Mirror Lake and the Coastal Pond trail.”

Can groaned out loud. The two trails were in opposite directions. There was no way he was going to be able to search both.

“But I told her to wait with Coastal Pond and do it later in summer,” Gee continued oblivious to his distress. “You know, so the water will be warm enough to go swimming?” she added conversationally. “Mirror Lake is never really warm enough, so you might as well go there now. Besides it’s always really pretty up there   
in spring,” she prattled on, as if she’d completely forgotten what had caused this phone call in the first place.

Knowing that the incessant talking was just Gee’s coping mechanism, Can tuned her out as he weighed his options. 

“Okay, great. Thanks Gee,” he interrupted her word-flow. 

“I’m going to head up to Mirror Lake trail and see if I can find her. Let Jake know, will you? And tell him I’m bringing the satellite phone just in case,” he added.

“Sure, I’ll tell him,” Gee said. 

“Should we send a rescue team out to Pond Lake?” she asked, suddenly sounding surprisingly sober and efficient. 

Can bit his lip, thinking it over. 

He really wanted to say yes. 

He wanted all the help he could get. 

Anything to make sure that Sanem was safe. 

But Pond Lake was on the part of the island that would be first to get cut off in a storm. And sending out a rescue team might be risking lives unnecessarily if it turned out she’d gone up the mountain.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

“Let me drive up to Mirror Lake trailhead first,” he said reluctantly, hating the delay it would cause if he picked the wrong trail.

“If her car isn’t there I’ll phone Jake and have him send a rescue team to Pond Lake, okay?” 

“Sure, I’ll let Jake know right away,” Gee agreed. “We’ll have the rescue team on stand-by,” she added in a reassuring voice.

“Thanks Gee,” he said quietly, the roiling, icy feeling in his belly quickly forming into a solid block of ice.

“Can?” Gee added just as he was about to hang up. “We’ll find her,” she said softly.

***

It took him all of five minutes to get ready to head out into the storm, but every minute felt like an eternity to him. 

He hadn’t unpacked the Jeep so his backpack was already in the car, fully stocked with first aid kit and everything he’d packed in preparation for a three day guided trip with a group of inexperienced hikers. 

The Jeep also held the satellite phone, and extra blankets. All he needed was to dress in some warmer layers and stock up on energy bars, water and heating packs, just in case. 

He dug out the heavy-duty shell-jacket and pants that had been stored away for the summer, and suited up, hating the extra minutes spent on encasing his body in the sturdy wind- and waterproof material. But as much as he wanted to rush headlong into the oncoming storm to find her, he knew only too well, that if   
he didn’t protect himself first, his chances of making it were considerably lower. If he got sluggish or clumsy because of hypothermia he wouldn’t be of any use to her, and that was just not something he was willing to gamble with.

But even with the additional gear, he was back behind of the wheel of the Jeep in record time, and on his way. 

The rain was coming down hard now, sheets of water driving almost horizontally across the road in the conical beams of light cast by the Jeep’s headlights. 

The rain formed an almost solid wall as it pelted the windshield in an unrelenting downpour that made the wipers work overtime, and reduced visibility to zero, forcing him to proceed at a snail’s pace. 

He wanted to scream in frustration with the slow going but he couldn’t afford to risk an accident, so even though it killed him, he kept the Jeep in the lowest gear, as he practically crawled up the winding mountain road. 

On open stretches the car was being slammed with powerful gusts of wind, making it difficult just to stay on the road. But soon, trees started closing in on both sides of the road, forming a wildly undulating living shield against some of the wind and downpour. 

But Can knew better than to relax his vigilance as he drove on. 

The tree cover might help a little with visibility and take the edge off the wind, but the seeming protection was treacherous. The encroaching forest was taking a severe beating from the storm, and every minute the risk of fallen branches or even trees falling across the road was increasing.

Can was completely focused on getting through, keeping an eye out for any flying debris or obstacles in his path. He was only vaguely aware that he was clenching his teeth so hard it was making his jaw ache. 

But even as he gripped the wheel in white-knuckled fists, struggling to stay on course in the onslaught of wind and rain, his mind was already going over the familiar trail ahead, recalling the route, the topography, trying to work out how far she might have gotten, given the conditions and the approximate time she might have set out. 

Slowly, as he continued to struggle on up the mountain, he lost all sense of time.

His world narrowed down to the small pocket of lit-up storm-swept road just in front of the car, the staccato sound of the rain hammering on the roof of the Jeep, the overlaying roar of the storm, and the sheer physical strain of keeping the violently rocking car on the road. 

The effort of holding the car steady had sweat beading on his forehead, but at the same time he felt chilled to the bone from the constant gnawing fear that he might be too late. 

“Hang on Sanem, I’m coming.”   
The words kept rolling around in his head in a silent mantra, and he clung to them whenever he felt panic rise to the surface, threatening to overwhelm him.

He had to keep it together. 

He had to get to her.

She had to be all right…

Can had no idea how long he’d been on the road, when he finally spotted the turn-off to the Mirror Lake trail.   
He pulled onto the dirt track leading to the parking area, but the heavy rain had already made the pot-holed track muddy and slippery. For one heart-stopping moment the Jeep’s tires just spun and sprayed mud behind the car but then it caught traction and the car shot ahead so fast he almost rammed it into a tree. 

Can swore as he got the wildly swaying car back on the track and slowly bumped the rest of the way to the opening in the trees that served as parking area for hikers.

The storm was blocking out almost all light and it was so dark by now, he didn’t even notice when he reached the opening. 

It wasn’t until the Jeep’s headlights swept over another vehicle parked at the far end of the area that he realized he’d made it. 

And that there was a car here!

Can almost whooped with joy, but he immediately tamped down the fierce surge of relief. He needed to make sure it was her car before letting himself hope. 

He drove carefully across the grass-covered clearing, keeping the other vehicle directly in his headlights, and pulled up next to it. 

Securing the hood of his jacket, he grabbed the tactical flashlight out of the glove compartment and headed out in the storm. 

The minute he left the cover of the Jeep it felt like the storm was going to lift him off the ground or knock him over. He instinctively held on to the roof-bars as he made his way around the Jeep to the other car. 

It only took him a second to establish that it was indeed Sanem’s car. 

A quick sweep with the flashlight through the windows of the car told him nothing, except that it was empty. He had no way of knowing what kind of equipment she’d brought with her, or how far she’d managed to get. 

But at least he now knew she was on this trail, and he was going to find her.

Back inside the Jeep, he used the satellite phone to make a quick call to Jake, to let him know that he had found Sanem’s car and was heading up the trail to look for her. 

He hung up on Jake’s parting “Be careful,” in his rush to get moving.

Then he gathered his backpack, pocketed the flashlight and ran towards the trail head.

***

The rough trail was studded with rocks and treacherous tree roots but Can hurried along as fast as he dared. As the trees closed in around him and darkness deepened, he started feeling like the storm was an actual, ominous presence in the woods around him. The winds were howling through the trees, and great   
gusts of wind knocked him from side to side whenever they found an opening to blast down the trail. 

It was almost pitch black on the narrow, uneven trail, and the only reason he was able to make a decent pace was the powerful tactical flashlight he’d packed. The beam cut through the darkness, saving him from tripping over obstacles ahead or from straying too far from the track whenever he had to make a detour to get around broken branches that had fallen in his path. 

The roar from the storm above made it almost impossible that she could hear him, but he still couldn’t help calling her name at regular intervals, as he carefully made his way further up the trail. 

And then another problem presented itself. 

The noise from the wind and the rustling foliage and the constant movement from leaves and twigs flying through the air, and trees and bushes being whipped around by the strong winds, would effectively cover any noise and mask any movement not directly in front of him. It occurred to him that he could be passing two feet from her and never even know that she was there. If for some reason she didn’t react to his flashlight, he risked walking right by her. 

Can felt clammy dread unfurl in his stomach at the thought of what that might mean. 

Then he decisively shot down that line of thinking. 

He had to stay optimistic. 

But he nevertheless slowed down, stopping every few feet to shine the beam from the flashlight in a circle around the trail, just to make sure he didn’t accidentally pass her by.

As much as he hated to do it, he even made sure to shine the beam of light on the ground, behind every obstacle large enough to hide a human body, just to be on the safe side. 

But every time it killed him a little bit, as he kept picturing Sanem’s crumbled body lying broken on the forest floor.

“Stop it Divit!” his inner voice snapped, breaking through the haze of fear, anger and sadness that threatened to incapacitate him. 

“Right”, he mumbled through clenched teeth. “Focus. Keep moving. She can’t have gotten that far…”

He jumped over a tree trunk that had fallen across the path, cutting a huge swath through the undergrowth where it had landed. Before moving on he carefully shone his light along the side of the trunk and through the canopy, tangled with bushes where it lay. A feeling of relief washed through him when he didn’t see   
her slender form crushed under the massive trunk.

And then he was moving again.

“SANEM!” he shouted over and over. 

But the storm was so loud he could hardly hear himself anymore, and he wondered if he even still had a voice.

And all the time the storm kept building, seeming to get impossibly angrier with every passing minute.

There was sleet mixed in with the rain now, and it stung his face like needles where the hood left his skin uncovered. 

Can was pushing himself to keep moving, panting as much from exertion as from fear. He was only too aware that he was running out of time. There was no way she was going to last much longer unprotected in this kind of weather. 

And at the same time, he was scared to go off the trail. He knew these woods like his own backyard but even he was finding it difficult to follow the trail in these conditions. Which made it painfully obvious to him that Sanem could very easily have veered of track and have gotten lost.

‘And then you have no way of knowing where to look for her.’ His inner voice quietly stated the one fact he’d been carefully avoiding. 

“That is not happening,” he mumbled fiercely as he pushed on. “I’m not letting you die out here. I will find you and when I do, I’m not wasting any more time. I need a chance to tell you that I’m in love with you. So, don’t you dare let anything happen to you!” 

Images of expressive almond-shaped brown eyes flitted through his mind. Chocolate colored hair, spilling in dark waves over her pillow, as he’d watched her sleep. Full pink lips, with a delicately shaped cupid’s bow that could light up the world when they curved into a smile and drive him crazy with the need to kiss her… 

Can had just climbed a hill where the trail followed a ridge above a small creek. He was looking at the trail where it curved around an outcropping of rock when he saw it. The edge of the trail, that bordered the drop-off where a steep bank led down to the creek, looked like something or someone had crashed through it. Can pinned his flashlight on the broken-up spot as he edged closer. A clump of dirt had been kicked out, creating a hole in the long grass that grew along the side of the trail. And there were drag-marks in the muddy dirt. The sort of marks that a pair of shoes might leave behind if they slid over an edge, he thought with a mixture of hope and despair.

Hunching down he leaned over the edge and shone his light down the side of the bank. The marks continued down the side and formed into distinct shoeprints as whoever had gone over the edged regained their footing where the slope flattened out. 

Can didn’t hesitate.

He resolutely went over the edge, sliding down the steep part of the bank, and followed the smudged footprints as they continued along the muddy ground. For a while the footprints seemed to be following the trail above, but then the muddy bank came to a dead end at a rock wall. He could tell that whoever had walked here had tried climbing back up to the trail, but the mud had made it impossible. 

He shone his flashlight in circles around him until he spotted the tracks leading away on the other side of the small creek.

Great! 

She’d waded through the icy water, and chances were she’d gotten soaked almost to the knees, he realized as he followed in her path, his heart pounding in his throat.

He didn’t stop to wonder when he’d started referring to the footprints as Sanem’s, but he simply couldn’t allow himself to even consider that they might belong to anyone else. 

Can rushed ahead as quickly as he could, keeping the footprints in his beam of light at all times. 

The prints were leading further and further away from the trail now and moving in somewhat irregular lines, telling him that she had probably gotten completely turned around at this point.

He started yelling her name again, clinging to the smudged, dissolving footprints in front him as if they were a life west.

“Where are you, Sanem?” he whispered turning in a slow circle shining his light all around.

A loud crash had him whip his head around just in time to see and tall tree falling in the woods, knocking against other trees, before it crashed to the ground. 

For a brief moment he squeezed his eyes shut. 

Then, as he turned back around to refocus on the footprints, he caught a flash of something white off to the side. 

Can turned towards the flicker of white, squinting through the darkness and downpour to try and make out what it was. 

The flashlight didn’t quite reach far enough, and he was scared to leave the footprints in case he couldn’t find his way back to them again. 

But then the patch seemed to move.

“SANEM!” he shouted hoarsely.

And then he was running, stumbling over uneven ground, towards the flash of white that was gradually turning into the outline of a body through the darkness and masses of swaying foliage.

‘Her white windbreaker,’ he thought, almost giddy with relief.

He half ran, half stumbled through the darkness, feeling as disconnected to his own body as if he were running in a dream.

And then he was dropping to his knees, pushing aside foliage and branches to get to her.

His world stopped for a second as the beam from his flashlight caught her body lying there, seemingly lifeless. 

She was lying curled up in a hollow in the ground, almost obscured by a fallen tree. 

The tree looked too sturdy to have been knocked over by the wind, but as he pushed closer, he realized that the massive trunk had been hollowed out by termites to the point where it hadn’t been able to hold up against the storm. 

Can could hear his own frantic breathing and thundering heartbeat as he took in her still body, under the huge old tree.

He was desperate to get to her, but he was scared to push against the tree in case it shifted and maybe endangered her further. 

He looked around trying to decide what to do. Then he wedged the flashlight into a V between the stump of a broken off branch and the thick trunk, shining the light steadily on her body, freeing his hands to work. 

As he set to work removing branches and other debris the all-consuming fear took a backseat to a fierce determination. 

He pulled aside one of the larger branches, lying across the trunk and suddenly he saw her move. 

“Sanem,” he yelled.   
“Sanem, honey, can you hear me?”

He pulled frantically at the remaining loose branches to get to her, as she started to sit up.

“No, Sanem, don’t move,” he shouted.   
“I’ll get you out. I’m coming for you but you need to stay still.”

But maybe she was confused or maybe she couldn’t hear his words over the storm. She continued to sit up curling her legs under her as she turned to face him.

“Can?” her voice sounded uncertain, like she wasn’t sure it was really him. 

Can threw away the last branch covering the opening into the hollow she’d been lying in and fell to his knees reaching for her. 

She was saying something that was lost in the storm, but he wasn’t really listening either.

He was vaguely aware that he was babbling reassuring nonsense as he tried to figure out if she was hurt, patting gently along her arms and legs, looking for injury, all the while talking and asking questions he didn’t stop to hear the answer to. 

“Can!” this time she shouted his name loud enough to get his attention.

He looked over her face, noticing the streaks of mud on one cheek, the leaves and twigs tangled in her hair, but no blood. No visible injury.

Sanem wriggled a little closer to him and brought up both hands to cup his face. She leaned closer until her forehead touched his. 

“I’m fine Can,” she said looking into his eyes. “I’m fine.”

He stared at her for a long moment unwilling to believe her.

“But the tree…” he said

“It didn’t fall on me,” she said. “It had already fallen and I just got lost and had to take cover until the storm blew over. I used the tree trunk as shelter from the wind and falling branches and stuff,” she explained, pointing to the hollow in the ground underneath where the tree trunk rested on a big rock.

She kept looking into his eyes willing him to understand that she was okay.

Can stared at her a moment longer. 

Then it finally started sinking in that she was in one piece, not crushed under a tree, not hurt. Just lost. 

He cupped her face, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs, feeling himself slowly coming out of the panic.

And then he had to hold her. He abruptly pulled her into his arms, crushing her to him in a bear hug, not really sure if he was trying to soothe her or himself.

“That’s my girl,” he mumbled into her ear, before pressing kisses to her cheek.   
“Smart thinking.” He said wit a small smile, pulling back to look into her eyes, his eyes roaming hungrily all over her face in the light from the flashlight. 

But that’s when he realized that her face was white as a sheet, her lips had started turning blue and she was shivering violently, not from fear but from the on-setting cold. 

With a silent oath he pushed back on his heels and held a hand out to her.

“Sanem we need to get out of here,” he yelled, urging her to move.

She was having trouble making her limbs do what she wanted them to, so he simply lifted her out and pulled her close. 

Her eyes were looking a little unfocused he noticed. He needed to get her warm as soon as possible.

He quickly unzipped his shell jacket and pulled her against his body under the jacket, wrapping it around her back as well as he could. 

As she shivered against him, he rubbed her back and arms to get circulation going, while he took stock of their location.

“Sanem, honey?” he said close to her ear.  
“Do you think you can walk a little further? I know a place we can go, but it’s about 10-15 minutes walk from here,” he said.

Her teeth were chattering too much for her to speak, so she just nodded and rested her head against his chest as she soaked up his bodyheat.


	30. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can brings Sanem to safety and they finally get to talk...things heat up on more than one level

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter ran crazy long. It just kind of kept writing itself, and well...here it is.

Sanem knew she had to move. Part of her brain recognized that her body’s core temperature was getting dangerously low, and that she was probably already beginning to show signs of mild hypothermia. 

But another part of her was content to just stay right there and let the storm run its course while she rested against the warm chest under her cheek.

When she’d taken cover under the fallen tree, her clothes had already been soaked through and she’d had to curl up to try and preserve as much body heat as possible. But the rain and sleet had kept drizzling through the flimsy cover of fallen branches, keeping her clothes damp and chilled. And the hollow may have   
given her a measure of protection from the strong winds, but it hadn’t been nearly enough shelter to keep the cold blasts away from her already undercooled body. Even though she’d tried stamping her feet and flexing her muscles as much as the cramped space would allow, she’d gotten so cold. 

So very, very, cold. 

Logically, she knew all this. 

And she knew she wasn’t going to last much longer if she didn’t start to move. 

But as she stood in the protective confinement of Can’s jacket, pressed tight against the heavenly warmth from his body, all she wanted to do was stay there with her head on his chest, and go to sleep. 

“Sanem?” his voice registered in her sluggish brain, and she cracked an eye open, wondering if she could get away with ignoring it.   
“Sanem, honey? We need to get moving,” he said, this time shaking her gently by the arms.

The movement made the jacket that he’d wrapped around both of them open a crack, letting in a gust of icy wind. That, more than his attempt to mobilize her, had her lifting her head with a mumbled protest.

“I know you’re cold, sweetheart,” he said, rubbing her back. “But we’ll get you warmed up in no time as soon as we get there.” His voice sounded almost pleading, she noticed in a strangely detached way. 

Then he cursed quietly and moved to remove his backpack. The movement caused his jacket to open wide, exposing her to the full force of the storm again. Sanem felt like she was being blasted with icy water, the shock almost knocking the breath out of her.

But Can was already pulling her around him, to shelter her as much as he could with his big body. 

He was fiddling with something she couldn’t quite make out. And then his hands were lifting her windbreaker, pushing up under her sweater. 

Her brain couldn’t make sense of it, and for one hysterical moment she thought he’d picked now of all times to try and make out with her. Then something warm pressed against her stomach over her t-shirt. And then the same thing happened on her lower back. She closed her eyes and wondered if she was imagining things, but decided that if she was, it felt too nice for her to want to do anything about it.

“There,” he said pulling her sweater back in place and tugging down her windbreaker. “The heat packs should help a little till we get to the cabin.”

‘Heat packs’ her brain slowly repeated. 

Right. 

That made sense. 

She would have preferred his hands she thought absently, but she’d take the packs for now.

Can grabbed her hand and started leading her away from the makeshift shelter under the tree. Her legs felt like they belonged to someone else, and she stumbled along behind him in the darkness, grateful for the strong hand that anchored her to him.

The storm seemed to have gotten even more furious since she’d crawled into that hollow, she noticed vaguely. The howling winds and the pelting rain were so strong she wondered how Can was even able to see his way through it. 

But he seemed to know exactly where he was going, and she trusted him implicitly to find shelter for them, even though she couldn’t imagine what he had in mind out here in the middle of the storm-whipped woods. 

So she just held on to his hand and followed his dark outline and the bobbing beam from his flashlight in front of them.

It felt like they walked forever. 

Reality had long since been reduced to nothing but putting one leg in front of the other, and the deafening cacophony of noise that accompanied the chill wind and icy water pelting them from all sides. 

The darkness seemed only to magnify the sounds of the storm and keep them in a timeless void as they trudged on. 

Even with her hand firmly grasped in his, the darkness was making her feel oddly isolated, and to avoid looking into the nothingness, she soon dropped her eyes to her feet. 

Or where she knew her feet had to be. 

Maybe, if she concentrated hard enough on her legs and feet and moving them one step at a time, she could almost forget they were in a forest in the middle of a crazy storm…

Can suddenly stopped and turned to check on her and she walked right into him. 

He steadied her and shouted something, but the words got carried away on the wind. 

She just stared at him, too tired and dazed to react.

He pointed the flashlight in her direction, studying her face intently for a second. Then he was saying something. He tucked the flashlight into a strap on his backpack and then he simply picked her up and continued on, carrying her in his arms, as if she weighed nothing.

Sanem thought she should probably protest. But the minute she was off her feet she just knew she wasn’t going to be able to take another step. And Can actually seemed to be making better time carrying her, than when she’d been walking on her own.

In just a few minutes she felt more than saw that the woods opened up and they were in a small clearing. 

As far as she could tell from the brief flashes, she caught in the erratically bouncing beam of the flashlight, the clearing was backed by a sheer rock wall. A small stream was running through it. 

But Can seemed to know his way around. He didn’t even stop to get his bearings. He just continued straight across the clearing, towards the rock wall. 

The flashlight kept bobbing up and down with each step he took, light hitting rock, grass, tress…and then a small log cabin!

As they got closer the light held more steadily on the cabin and she saw that it sat right at the base of that rock wall, looking as if it practically clung to the rock for protection against the storm. 

Can walked straight up to the front door, and gently put her down on her feet. 

“Can you stand?” he asked with a frown.

She nodded, leaning a hand on the weathered exterior of the cabin for support. Can reached up, fumbling for something under the eaves of the tiny front porch.

And then he was inserting a key in the lock and they were inside. 

***

As the door slammed closed behind them, Sanem felt like someone had pressed mute on the storm. 

It was still clearly audible, but the thick log-walls of the cabin were surprisingly sound-insulating and now the storm was only a murmur of white noise in the background. 

It took her a moment to adjust, her ears ringing in the sudden silence, as if she’d been to a club were the music was too loud. 

Can had already put the backpack on the floor and hung his jacket on a peg behind the door, and was turning to her. The beam from the flashlight was moving in crazy patterns around the interior of the cabin as he moved. 

“I’ll get the generator going in a minute so we’ll have light,” Can said as if that was somehow supposed to make sense to her.

“But I want to get the fire started first, so we can get you heated up,” he said and moved confidently through the dark cabin, taking the flashlight with him. 

Sanem didn’t move. 

For one thing, she couldn’t see much. But more importantly she was not sure she could move even if she wanted to. Her body felt like it couldn’t decide if it was going to go numb or start shaking uncontrollably. 

So she just remained standing by the front door, leaning faintly against the rough wooden wall.

There was a spark as Can lit something on fire. The acrid aroma of a struck match reached her nose and then crackling noises told her something had caught fire. A flickering yellow light grew slowly, and she could see Can kneeling in front of a rustic stone-fronted fireplace, efficiently building a solid fire. 

He sat back on his heels and watched for a moment as flames licked hungrily up the dry wood, checking to make sure it caught properly.

When the fire was to his satisfaction, he turned to look in her direction. 

The fire was casting enough light in the room now for her to make out the proportions of the cabin and the rustic but surprisingly homey interior. It was hard to tell in the soft, flickering light, but the place looked clean and tidy, and it didn’t have the unused feeling that she had expected. It felt like a place that had   
been lived in recently. 

“Where are we?” she wanted to ask, but her voice came out as an unintelligible croaking sound.

“Sanem? We need to get you warmed up,” he said, already on his feet.

“You should get out of those wet clothes and come sit here by the fire. There are blankets here that you can wrap up in,” he added, pointing to a basket sitting next to the couch in front of the fireplace. 

“I’ll find you some dry clothes to put on in the meantime.”

He looked at her expectantly, and she nodded in agreement. 

But she simply couldn’t make her body obey. It was as if it had shut down operation. Like the batteries had run out. 

She just stood there, leaning against the wall, staring hungrily at the fireplace and the delicious heat that was just out of reach… 

“Sanem?” he probed. “Sweetheart, you need to get out of those clothes,” he repeated, as if she was a little slow.

Then he seemed to realize her problem just as she turned her eyes to him, silently asking for help. 

With a soft oath he covered the distance between them in two long strides and simply picked her up in his arms. He carried her over to the fireplace and gently deposited her on the couch. Without wasting time asking for permission, he started undoing her hiking boots. First one foot, then the other, pulling off both the boot and the sock. 

All she could do was sit and watch, with a weird out-of-body feeling, as he systematically unzipped her jacket, peeling the clingy, wet material off her arms, and dumped it on top of her wet socks. Then he pulled her sweater over her head, taking care not to pull her hair, as he freed it from the roll-neck. 

The soaking wet sweater landed with a heavy thud on top of the jacket. 

He quickly removed the two heat packs that he’d tucked into the waist band of her jeans out in the woods and put them on the floor next to the growing pile of her wet clothes.

He unzipped her jeans and wrapped one arm around her, lifting her enough to pull them down her hips. Then he worked them down her legs. The wet material was unwieldy and stuck to her skin, and she wanted to apologize for not being any more help. But he got them off her and added them to the pile on the floor. 

Then he seemed to hesitate as he looked her in the eyes for the first time since he started undressing her.

“We really should get you out of the wet t-shirt too,” he said quietly. 

Did his voice sound a little more husky all of a sudden? she wondered.

But she just nodded and leaned forward a little, to help him ease the fabric off her wet skin.

Was it her imagination of was his hands shaking a little as he dragged the wet jersey-material up her body and over her head? 

But then he was turning away, dumping the t-shirt on top of the rest of her clothes, and reached for a blanket.

When he turned back around, he kept his eyes averted, but his cheeks looked a little flushed. Maybe from the fire? she thought. 

But as if he couldn’t help himself, his eyes darted quickly over her body as she sat there in nothing but her underwear, and the flush seemed to deepen.

She looked down at herself, wondering what he saw when he looked at her. 

Her bra was ice blue lace, and even though the thin material would dry quickly it was still wet and cold, and she wanted it off her skin.

She sat up and reached around to unhook it. 

Can seemed to realize what she intended, and he quickly turned around to give her some privacy. 

Sanem struggled to get her fingers to cooperate but they were still cold, stiff and clumsy.

“Can?” she said, glad that her voice at least seemed to but working again.

He turned back around to look at her, his eyes immediately going to the ice blue lace still covering her. 

“Off?” he asked in a strained voice. 

“Yes please. It’s wet,” she said softly. “My fingers don’t work right. I can’t undo it. Please?” she said. 

He closed his eyes briefly and breathed in. 

She shifted a little, so her back was turned to him. 

And then his hands were on her naked skin.

His fingers sliding under the lacy band, finding the clasp, releasing the hook. She felt the bra come loose but didn’t move to take it off. 

She could feel the warmth from the fire licking over her front, and the heat from his body right behind her. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to move closer to the fire of lean back against him. Both would be playing with fire in some sense she realized. 

He still didn’t move or speak. His fingers were resting lightly on her back, trailing softly up and down her spine. Then he made a small sound as if he suddenly noticed what he was doing, and his fingers disappeared. 

She almost protested, but then she felt his hands on her shoulders. 

He slowly pushed the lacy straps of the bra down her arms and dumped the bra on top of the pile of her wet clothes. 

She still didn’t move, feeling oddly unbothered by her own near-nudity in front of him. 

She should have been shy, she thought. 

But for some reason she wasn’t. 

She felt his breath wash over the back of her neck and closed her eyes in anticipation. 

But Can seemed to snap out of whatever mood had come over him. 

He picked up the blanket he’d dropped on the couch and draped it around her from behind, covering her up. Then he groaned softly and pulled her back against his body, his strong arms enveloping her completely as he burrowed his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply. 

Sanem let herself rest against him, savoring the closeness, the warmth and the feeling of safety. 

“You’re going to be okay,” he mumbled against the side of her neck. 

She wasn’t really sure if he was reassuring her or himself, but it didn’t matter. She closed her eyes, breathed out and relaxed back against him.

His nose dragged slowly up the side of her neck.

“God, you smell so good,” he whispered.

Then he seemed to recall what he was supposed to be doing. He raised his head and sat up a little straighter, as he started rubbing her arms vigorously through the blanket. 

The rubbing was making her skin tingle, like a million tiny pinpricks up and down her arms. It wasn’t unpleasant, and it was definitely warming her up. 

But if she was being honest, she couldn’t help feeling a little cheated. 

For one thing the heat radiating from the fire had felt amazing on her naked skin, heating her up much better than the blanket. 

But more importantly, she wanted his hands on her skin again, not just rubbing her arms through a blanket. 

In fact, the arm-rubbing was nice and all, but it felt very clinical. Like it only served to bring back circulation in her body. Not at all the sensual, lingering touch from before, that had somehow seemed to heat her up from the core out. 

Apparently oblivious to her disappointment, Can moved around her and sat on the floor in front of her, giving her feet and legs the same rub-down as her arms had just gotten. 

“Just to get circulation going,” he mumbled, in a totally unnecessary explanation, as he continued to rub until she felt like her skin must glow and radiate as much heat as the fire.

Feeling irrationally grumpy, she wrapped the blanket around her, and leaned back against the cushions, pulling her legs out of his grasp and curling them up under her.

Can sat back and gave her a speculative look.

“Right,” he said. “I’ll just go and get out of these wet clothes myself,” he said as he got to his feet. “I keep some spare clothes up here, and I’ll see if I can find something for you to wear,” he added as he walked away.

‘Wait. What?’ her inner voice sat up and took notice before the meaning of his words fully registered with her.

“This is your place?” she asked in surprise.

“Yes, I’ve had this place for years,” he said, his voice muffled as he bent to rummage through a chest of drawers. 

‘Well, that certainly explains a lot,’ her inner voice noted. 

“This is where I used to stay when I came to the island. Before my uncle left me the house,” he explained quietly, as he started to pull off his own wet clothes.

Sanem was aware that she was staring at him, openmouthed.

“I still come here whenever I want to be alone,” he said, in a far-off voice. “Nobody knows about this place.”

He pulled off his fleece and dropped it on the floor.

“Well, a few people know I have it,” he amended. “But not where it is.” 

“You can’t drive here,” he explained when he saw her doubtful expression. 

“You have to hike the last part and it’s really out of the way. Not close to any of the hiking trails really.”

“Yeah, I believe you,” she mumbled, as she recalled the stumbling, disoriented route she’d followed after she got lost. She could easily believe that no one accidentally stumbled upon this place. 

His t-shirt was next to go, and Sanem was momentarily distracted from what he was saying as she watched the play of muscle under skin that looked silky smooth and golden in the warm, flickering light from the fire.

‘Close your mouth, dear,’ her inner voice chided. ‘It’s not polite to drool, and besides, it’s not like it’s the first time you’ve seen him shirtless,’ it pointed out snippily.

Maybe it wasn’t the first time, she thought as she watched him pull on a white tank top. But she was pretty sure she’d never get used to the sight of his naked body.

Or the parts of it that she’d seen so far…

Her mind immediately started going through images of him. No matter what he always looked amazing. 

Felt amazing…

She sighed involuntarily. 

It was getting harder and harder to deny those feelings. 

The physical connection between was pretty incendiary. Even she knew that. She’d never reacted to anyone the way she did to him. So maybe it was time to explore that? 

As if he’d read her mind, he started undoing his pants, and pushed them down his legs. 

For a moment, Sanem could only sit there and watch. Then she felt herself flush deeply and quickly spun back around to face the fire.

‘Very smooth, Sanem’, she thought to herself. ‘Ogling him like that…you were practically feeling him up in your head!’ 

Can came back and sat down on the couch next to her, dropping a small pile of clothes in her lap.

Sanem fingered the clothes, hoping he’d ascribe her flaming cheeks to the heat from the fire. 

He’d pulled on a pair of black sweatpants to go with the white tank top. 

For a second she worried that he was going to be cold, but then she realized that the roaring fire had already heated up the tiny cabin, and it was now toasty warm inside. 

“How about I get that generator going and make us some tea while you get dressed,” he said, resolutely getting up and turning his back on her. 

“Something warm to drink will heat you up from the inside,” he added without looking at her.

“I can think of a few other ways to heat me up,” she mumbled sullenly, as she stared into the dancing flames, stubbornly refusing to get dressed. 

“What was that?” he called over his shoulder as he pulled his jacket back on, apparently intending to head back out in the storm.

“Nothing,” she said out loud, cursing her bad luck as she heard the door close behind him. 

It was ironic really. 

Just as she was entertaining the possibility that she was ready…no, actually eager, to take the physical side of their relationship to the next level, he seemed to have developed superhuman restraint. 

Or maybe he just didn’t find her that attractive? 

A small niggling uncertainty crept into her mind.

This was the first time he’d really seen her with no clothes on. 

Maybe he was disappointed? 

The thought triggered the unwelcome memory of Denise’s words from that afternoon. 

“She’s not his usual type” were suddenly ringing through her head and her shoulders slumped as she had to consider the truth of that. 

‘Or maybe he’s just too decent to take advantage of someone who’s half-dead with hypothermia?’ her inner voice said pointedly. 

“Yeah, well…it’s not taking advantage if I want it, is it?” she mumbled grumpily. 

‘Hmmm….and how is he supposed to know that? You’re the one who’s been stalling so far. And he seemed to be pretty interested those other times...,’ she could almost see her inner voice giving her the ‘nod-and-wink’-routine.

Sanem bit her lip and frowned. 

It was true though. It had seemed as if he wanted her before. 

But then again, maybe that had just been a matter of circumstances. Limited choice. Something like that? 

Argh! She was going to drive herself crazy if she kept thinking about this. 

To distract herself she started going through the clothes he’d brought her. 

She probably should put on something before he got back, she decided with a sigh.

***

Can wasn’t gone long. The generator must have been in good working order, because within minutes of him going back out, a humming sound from a basic kitchen unit along the back wall announced that the small undercounter fridge had been turned on. 

Seconds later the door opened, letting in a huge burst of frigid air, and a shivering Can. 

“…we’ll ride it out here at the cabin,” he was saying talking on a funny looking phone. “I’ll call with an update tomorrow. And thanks again, Jake.” 

He slammed the door behind him, slipped the odd-looking phone into his jacket pocket and flipped a switch by the door, turning on a light in the kitchen. 

“I just let Jake know that I found you,” he announced as he walked towards the kitchen.

“He says hi,” he flashed her a quick smile as he turned on another lamp in the corner, casting the interior of the cabin in a warm yellow light. 

Sanem looked around the cabin curiously as the light revealed more details.

It was just the one room as far as she could tell, except for a small bathroom, accessed through a narrow half-open door next to the kitchen unit. 

The furniture was sparse and simple, but the overall effect was cozy and homey. 

“They had a rescue team on stand-by just in case, but I told him we’d be fine up here for now,” Can said, as he rummaged around the kitchen, setting water to boil, taking out mugs and teabags.

Sanem watched him surreptitiously, nervously twisting the hem of her t-shirt between her fingers. The t-shirt was white and much too large for her. More like a dress really, so she’d decided to forego the shorts and socks he’d given her, and just let the heat radiating off the fireplace soak into her exposed skin. 

She wasn’t sure why, but for some reason she felt a little shy suddenly. 

Which was stupid. 

It wasn’t like they hadn’t been alone before. 

And he’d already seen her in her underwear, so it was too late to get self-conscious about that. 

But something about being all alone out here in the middle of the mountains, in a storm, cut off from the rest of the world, made the intimacy of the situation seem…more potent.

She watched as Can poured hot water into two mugs and placed the pot back on the stove.

Or maybe it was just because of the resolution she’d come to as she’d curled up in that hollow out in the woods, wondering if she was going to come out of this alive, she thought with a frown, biting her lip.

She’d been only too aware of how precarious her situation had been, as she’d shivered and waited for the storm to die down. But as she’d gradually started drifting in and out of exhausted sleep, her thoughts had kept circling around one thing. 

Regret that she had ever held back on anything she wanted because she was scared.

Now, as she watched Can move towards her with two steaming mugs of tea, all she could think about was that she didn’t want to have any regrets where he was concerned. 

Better to get burned than to miss out on something that could be amazing she decided.

“Here you go,” he said, handing her a mug.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, as she cradled the hot mug in her hands. 

He studied her intently for a moment, making her feel shy again. To distract herself she brought the mug to her lips to blow on the hot liquid. It smelled wonderful, and the steam rising from the mug felt amazing as it rose in tendrils, licking against her face. 

She closed her eyes and inhaled.

“Careful, it’s hot,” he added unnecessarily. His voice sounded a bit rough.

She opened her eyes and found him staring at her, an unfathomable expression on his face.

Then he seemed to shake himself.

“How are you feeling?” he asked seriously.

“Any pains? Pins-and-needles sensation? How’s your head? Do you feel dizzy? Disoriented?” he kept bombarding her with questions, not waiting for her answer, as his eyes roamed over her as if he still wasn’t sure she was in one piece. 

“I feel fine,” she said. “A little embarrassed maybe.” She gave him a quick look from under her lashes. 

“And very, very grateful,” she added quietly.

“Why embarrassed?” he asked with a puzzled frown.

“Because I was stupid enough to go on that hike to begin with,” she said pulling a face at her own bad judgement.

She leaned over to put her mug down on the floor, so she didn’t have to look him in the face. 

“I mean, obviously I had no idea a storm was coming. I never expected anything like…that!” she said waving a hand towards the windows.

“But it had already gotten pretty windy and cold when I set out, and I…I should have known better. I was just so caught up in my own bubble of frustration,” she said a little subdued, looking down at her fingers twisting in the soft fabric of the t-shirt.

“And now it turns out I had everybody worried. Jake, Gee…a whole rescue team for crying out loud! And of course…you,” she said with a quick glance in his direction. 

“You had to go out in that weather too…to put yourself in danger, just to save me from myself! Ugh!” she finished, covering her face with both hands, feeling even more ashamed of her own behavior now that she was saying it out loud.

“Sanem,” he said softly, pulling her hands away from her face. She peeked up at him and felt a little better when she saw his warm eyes, a small smile hovering around his lips.

“You couldn’t have known that it would turn into a storm like this,” he said, not letting go of her hands. “I didn’t know. I mean, hell, I’d taken my group out! And I’m supposed to know about these things. So don’t feel bad for not anticipating this, okay?” he said, reaching out to push a lock of hair off her face.

She nodded silently.

“That said,” he added. “Don’t you dare ever do anything like this to me again!” His eyes had turned almost black suddenly, and he lifted both her hands to his face and planted a series of kisses on them.

“Okay,” she whispered with a shy smile. 

He smiled back and dropped their intertwined hands to his lap.

“Storms like this are rare in the summer,” he said. “But they do happen from time to time, and I guess now you know the signs to look out for,” he gave her a lopsided smile. 

She just nodded, not trusting her voice to come out right around the lump that seemed to have gotten stuck in her throat.

“So…what happened?” he asked quietly.

“Well…” she said haltingly. “I was feeling a little upset…frustrated I guess.” She shrugged.

“It’s a long story, but something happened while I was in town today, and I just needed to get away from everything. To clear my head. And for some reason going on a hike seemed like just the thing.”

She stared into the dancing flames as she continued.

“I remembered that you told me about the Mirror Lake trail, and how tranquil and beautiful it is…and I just thought that would be the perfect place to make me forget about …everything.”

Can gave her a questioning look but didn’t interrupt. 

“At first things were fine,” she continued. “I mean, the storm wasn’t so bad, and once I got in between the trees there was a little shelter from the wind, you now?” 

“And the trail was easy to follow, not a hard hike at all, so I was making good time, not really paying attention to the weather to be honest.”

She grimaced at her own recklessness. 

“But then the wind picked up. A lot! And by the time I realized that things were getting really bad, and that I should be turning back, it had gotten so dark I was having trouble seeing the trail.”

She gave him a sidelong glance.

“I didn’t think to bring a flashlight,” she said with a sheepish smile. “I mean, I was never going to be out for that long.”

She sighed. 

“Anyway, I was on my way back on a stretch where the trail follows this sort of ridge,” she explained, seeing it all again in her head as she spoke. 

“But the trail was really narrow, and it had started to rain so the ground was slippery, and…I’m not exactly sure how it happened, but my foot slipped over the edge, and before I knew it, I’d slid down this slope.” 

She paused and freed one hand from his grasp to reach for her mug.

“I was okay, but I couldn’t get back up to the trail. The slope was too steep and slippery. So I tried following the trail from below, you know?” she glanced at him but quickly looked away again. 

“But after a while I realized that I’d gotten lost.” 

She was lost in thought for a moment. Then she turned to look at him again.

“I may be able to memorize a map, but clearly I’m no boy scout,” she said with a self-deprecating smile. 

“And those woods,” she said waving a hand in the general direction of the clearing out front. “They don’t look anything like the map in real life!” she said, smiling ironically.

His answering smile was enough encouragement for her to keep going.

“I tried calling Jake for help,” she said.

“But of course, by then I had no signal, so I just kept going. My plan was to keep going down-hill. I figured down had to be the right direction if I wanted to get off the mountain, right?” she chuckled. 

“Anyway, I kept getting turned around, it got darker and the wind kept getting stronger. At one point a huge branch broke off and fell right in front of me. That’s when I decided I had to seek shelter and try to wait it out.” she shrugged again and leaned back against the cushions.

“But the rain, the sleet…I had no idea it was going to get that cold,” she said, shivering involuntarily as she stared unseeingly into the flames. 

He made a strangled sound and then he abruptly lifted her into his lap, hugging her tight. 

His face was in her hair, and he held her so tight she could hardly breathe.

“Do you have any idea how scared I was?” he mumbled. 

He pulled back a little, rearranging her in his lap so he could look at her face, but keeping his arms firmly around her.

“How much you scared me? The whole time I was out there, searching, I was terrified I wasn’t going to find you in time,” he said, his voice sounding strained with emotion.

“I was losing my mind, Sanem,” he said wiping a hand over his face.

“I could hardly breathe, and then when I finally found you, and saw you under that tree…?” he shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

“It was like my world stopped.”

Sanem was vaguely aware that she’d stopped breathing.

He pulled her in for another hug, as if he couldn’t quite believe that she was actually there, alive and well.

“I don’t know what I would have done if you had been hurt…or worse,” he whispered. 

“You have to promise me not to let anything happen to you, Sanem,” he said, into her hair. 

Then he pulled back enough to look at her face intently.

Something warm was unfurling inside her, but at the same time she felt herself tense up.

His hand was cradling her face again, his thumb rubbing small circles on her cheek. 

“When I was out there searching for you, I promised myself that if…when I found you, I’d tell you what I should have told you long ago.” 

She was having trouble swallowing.

He looked deep into her eyes, his hand on her face going still.

“I need you to know that… I’ve fallen in love with you, Sanem,” he said, his voice suddenly taking on new depths, coming alive with warmth and certainty.

Sanem stared at him for a long moment, holding her breath, as if she was waiting for a ‘but’. But as he kept looking steadily into her eyes, she let out a half sob, half exhale and threw her arms around his neck. 

She tried to speak, but that huge lump in her throat was back, blocking all sound. So she just kept hugging him, and then she was kissing every part of him she could reach without letting go.

Can was hugging her back, chuckling and stroking her hair, as he waited her out.  
When she finally pulled back to look at him, warm brown eyes were smiling at her.

“I hope that was a happy reaction?” he asked jokingly. But a small hint of uncertainty lingered in his eyes.

“Yes!” she said in a breathy voice. 

She felt herself tearing up and quickly wiped under her eyes, before blinking up at him.

“Yes, of course it is. I wanted to tell you too,” she said with a wobbly smile. 

“That I’m in love with you too.” 

***

She hadn’t realized how tense he’d been until she said those words. It was like that huge, powerful body just unwound and relaxed instantly. 

He didn’t loosen his hold on her though.

For a long moment he just stared at her with a look of awe on his face. 

Then his lips came down on hers in a crushing kiss. His arm tightened around her in a fierce hug. 

There was no room to breathe. No pause to think or sort through any of the crazy emotions whipping through her. All she could do was let it all in. 

After a moment everything seemed to focus in on the physical sensations. 

The way his lips moved on hers. 

How his hand tangled in her hair, pulling slightly.

The solid feel of his arm around her waist, holding her in an iron grip.

The rhythm of his wildly beating heart under her hand.

The intoxicating taste of him in her mouth. 

His clean scent in her nose.

There wasn’t room for anything else. He filled up her entire awareness as he kissed her with a wild desperation that took her breath away. 

When they finally came up for air, they were both panting. 

They just stared at each other for a long moment. 

“I love you,” he rasped, his voice thick with emotion.

Momentarily stunned by a rush of overwhelming happiness, she just blinked at him, a dazzling smile slowly spreading on her face. 

“I love you too,” she said breathlessly, when she found her voice again. 

Can kept looking at her in a way that made her toes curl and her stomach do flips. His eyes were hooded and his lips curved into a slow sensual smile. 

Then he leaned in for another kiss. 

This time the kiss was slow, soft and sweet. She felt like he was worshipping her with his mouth, savoring the taste and feel of her, his lips almost lazily nibbling on hers. 

It was tantalizing, teasing…almost hypnotic. 

But it wasn’t nearly enough. 

Sanem felt a tension building in her, like a string being pulled so taut it was about to snap. 

Their shared confessions needed a much more physical expression. All that fizzy, bubbling joy, that tummy-clenching, breathtaking bliss needed an outlet. 

And suddenly something did snap inside her. 

With a moan she reached up and raked her fingers roughly through his beard, before cupping his face and taking charge of the kiss. 

He made a sound of surprise but an overriding sense of urgency, a very deep, very carnal hunger drove her on. 

Sanem felt like she was burning up. Every deep, hot kiss she demanded from him added to the fire, as she continued to explore him with a new, liberating lack of restraint. 

Can let her set the pace, matching her every lick, bite and touch. His hands were busy caressing up and down her back, tangling in her hair, causing that familiar tingling of excitement to course through her body. 

But she needed more. She couldn’t get close enough.

Without thinking she shifted around in his lap, straddling him so she could mold her body closer to his. She slipped her arms around his neck, angling her head to take the kiss even deeper. She could feel his very obvious arousal, as she settled herself on him, and somewhere, through the haze of desire, she basked in   
the certainty that she did that to him. 

Every time she moved, his hard length pressed against her core through their clothes, and it was sending crazy shockwaves through her body. She moaned into his mouth and instinctively swiveled her hips, grinding down on him. 

Can groaned her name, and tightened his grip on her hips, as he bucked involuntarily against her. Pleasure, almost painfully sharp, shot through her, making her see stars. 

Sanem was going entirely on instinct now. Her hands exploring every part of him she could reach, her mouth leaving a hot trail of kisses down the side of his neck, her hips grinding against his hardness, as she mindlessly chased a constantly growing need, coiling hot and tight in her belly. 

He made a throaty sound and shifted under her, pulling her even harder against him. His hands slipped up under her t-shirt, caressing the smooth skin on her lower back, before sliding down, over the curve of her hip, lower still. His hands were warm through the thin lace of her panties as he cupped her ass, guiding her movements against him. She let him set the rhythm, gasping for air as the pressure kept building, wave after wave of pleasure washing through her. 

He was kissing down her neck, biting and licking that spot at the base of her neck that had her head swimming. His mouth slid back up the column of her neck, and he lightly bit her earlobe, making her cry out. 

And suddenly she needed to feel his lips on her body. Everywhere. 

She grabbed the hem of her t-shirt and pulled it over her head in a swift move, letting it drop behind her. 

For a split second Can froze. 

“Sanem…” he groaned, letting his eyes roam hungrily over her naked body. Then he made a half-strangled sound and started running his hands over her. Slowly he traced the curve of her hip, circling the hipbone, fingers dancing over her flat belly, flitting lightly over the dip of her waist, up, up, up, stopping just below the soft weight of her breasts. 

Sanem almost whined in frustration, as he paused, taking her in with those smoldering, black, eyes. 

“Can, please,” she moaned arching into his touch. 

“Sanem…” he whispered, running his eyes over her almost reverently. 

Then his eyes returned to hers. 

“Are you sure about this, Sanem?” he asked, his voice rough and strained with the effort of holding back. 

She knew exactly what he was asking, and she had no doubt about what she wanted. 

She leaned in to brush her mouth lightly over his. 

“Very sure,” she mumbled against his lips.

He pulled back and gazed at her a moment longer. 

“I promise, I’m not delirious from the cold. I want this,” she said in a voice she hardly recognized as her own, as she panted and squirmed in his lap.

She could see the moment he gave in. 

His eyes flashed with a mixture of relief and roaring hunger, and then he pounced.

He growled into her mouth, his tongue going deep, his hips bucking hard against her core. Her breasts were pressed almost painfully against his hard chest as he crushed her to him. 

Ad then his mouth was trailing hungrily down her neck again, leaving hot, wet marks as he went. 

His hands finally came up to cup her breast, his thumbs rubbing circles over her nipples, sending sparks of electricity through her. His mouth followed, trailing kisses between her breasts, the roughness of his beard a mind-blowing contrast to the soft, wet, heat of his mouth as it closed on one nipple, and then the other. She heard herself moaning uncontrollably. Her head fell back, eyes closed as the pleasure kept building. 

Suddenly the room spun around as he lifted her and shifted her underneath him on the couch. He held his weight on his elbows, his massive arms, caging her in, as he bent down to kiss her. 

Once, twice…teasing her, until she reached up and pulled his head down for real kiss. She could feel his lips smiling against hers, but that changed as soon as she wrapped her legs around him, pulling him hard against her center. 

“Sanem…” he growled, fighting to regain control. 

“We need to slow down,” he panted, biting that spot on her neck again, making her arch her back and sigh in pleasure. 

“No…” she murmured, sliding her hands up under his tank top, felling her way up his hard-muscled back. 

“Yes, we do,” he insisted trailing kisses down her front, between her breast, as he cupped one in each hand. 

“Why?” she whined, not really caring because he was so wrong. 

He lifted his head and hovered over her, trying to get his breathing under control.

“Sanem, I wan’t to do this right,” he rasped.

She had no idea what he was talking about, she just wanted him to stop talking and get back to the kissing. She let her fingers trail all the way up the side of his neck, traced the curve of his ear with a fingertip, and tugged lightly on the lobe.

Can closed his eyes and hummed softly. Then he pulled out of her touch.

“This is your first time,” he insisted when she clearly had no interest in talking. 

“I’m not going to pounce on you like some wild animal your first time,” he grated out through clenched teeth.

Sanem couldn’t help a shiver of anticipation at his words. She knew that he was trying to do the right thing, but she couldn’t deny that the idea of him losing control and possessing her was…incredibly hot! She shifted restlessly under him, trying to get back the friction that had been driving her crazy in the best possible way. 

“Can…I want this,” she whispered, sliding her hands down his back, watching the warring emotions in his eyes as he fought his own baser instincts.

Her nails scratched lightly over his lower back, and she ground against him, urging him to let go.

And then he did. 

His self-control snapped as he met her bucking hips with a hard thrust of his own, making her cry out in pleasure. 

She tried pulling his tank top off to get better access to that magnificent body of his. 

The fabric was stuck between their bodies, but as he felt her pulling at it, he sat up and pulled it over his head, throwing it carelessly over his shoulder. Then he sat there for a moment, letting those burning hot eyes roam over her body, looking like he wanted to eat her up. 

But as much as she loved the way he was looking at her she was distracted by the sight of that hard, sculpted body, towering over her, so big and powerful. 

She needed to touch. To taste. To feel his skin on hers. She surprised herself with how aggressively she chased that desire. Pushing at his shoulders to make him roll over, she straddled his hips, running her hands over the hard planes of his chest, taking her time tracing his tattoo with her tongue. She ran her fingers over the ridges off his taut abs, marveling at the way his breath hitched every time she got near the waistband of his sweatpants. And then she followed with her lips. Licking and kissing down that body, pausing at his belly button, to trace that thin line of dark hair that disappeared into his pants. 

While she explored, his hands were busy stroking, caressing, finally digging hard into her hair as she kissed her way down that thin trail of dark hair. 

“Enough,” he growled, pulling her up his body and flipping them back over.

“I wasn’t done,” she protested, but she didn’t mind too much as his hands started copying what she’d just done to him. 

“I don’t want this to be over before it’s even begun,” he mumbled cryptically, but she never got to ask what he meant by that, because his mouth had reached her lower belly and he was kissing along the lacy edge of her panties, making her squirm. 

She was vaguely aware that he pulled her panties down her legs. That he trailed kisses up the inside of her legs, his beard tickling the inside of her knee, then her thigh, and then she was lost in a whirlwind of sensation. His mouth and fingers expertly brought her to the edge, over and over. He took his time, getting to know her reaction to everything he did, before finally giving her the release her body was craving. 

Sanem felt herself come apart in an explosion of sensations. It was like a tidal wave crashing. It should have taken everything with it as it washed through her, but instead it just kept crashing, over and over. She heard herself crying out his name and was both clinging to him and pushing him away as he eased her back down with kisses, his hands stroking soothingly up her body. 

Sanem didn’t have many conscious thoughts after that. 

On some level, she registered the way he responded eagerly to her every touch and reveled in this newfound power she seemed to have over him. But mostly she was in awe of the things he was making her feel. 

Brief moments of clarity stood out. 

The last barriers of clothes disappearing, his eyes burning into hers, fingers touching, lips caressing…

And then everything stopped for a moment as he hovered over her, shaking with the effort to hold still, his eyes stormy with passion, as he waited, silently asking her one last time if she was sure. 

Sanem couldn’t speak, so she just reached up, pulling his head down for a kiss, telling him without words, that she was ready.

There was a brief moment of discomfort as he entered her, but her body seemed to know what to do as it tightened and stretched to accommodate him. He held still as she adjusted, and then he started to move. She had never really thought about how it would feel, but the very primal urge to move with him, the instinctual drive that took over, took her by surprise. And then there was no more thought…


	31. Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cand and Sanem are stuck at the cabin, waiting out the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's hard to find time to write at the moment, so this week I skipped the editing - the chapter might be a bit rough and rambling in places but it was either that or wait anther week to find time to edit ;-)

Can sat in front of the fire, watching flames lick up the fresh piece of wood he’d just added. He had no idea what time it was. The storm was still raging outside, but the darkness behind the windows had turned from black to a sort of murky gray. It was still hours before daylight though.   
Behind him Sanem was fast asleep on the couch.   
He glanced back at her, his lips automatically curving up in a soft smile. His eyes lingered on her face for a long moment as he watched her sleep.   
A million emotions rushed to the surface every time he looked at her.   
His heart skipped a beat in sheer joy.   
His chest squeezed almost painfully tight with the overpowering love he felt for this woman. It took his breath away. Every time.   
Then a wave of pure happiness spread through him like warm honey.   
He wanted to wake her up and tell her again that he loved her.   
But she needed to sleep, he reminded himself. Her body needed the rest after everything she’d been through yesterday.   
He really should try and get some more sleep too, he thought absentmindedly, as he stretched and resettled on the crumbled blankets in front of the fire.  
He propped himself on his elbows staring into the flames, his mind leisurely sifting through everything that had happened over the past 24 hours.   
By rights, he should have been exhausted, but his body was still buzzing, energy fizzing through his veins. Probably just a combination of adrenalin and emotional overload, he figured with a shrug, pushing back a couple of stray embers with the fire poker.   
After Sanem finally nodded off, he’d held her in his arms for a long time, listening as her breathing turned deep and regular, feeling her body go limp and sleep-heavy against his. He’d drifted in and out of sleep for a while too, but somehow he’d resisted deep sleep, feeling a need to watch over her. A need to protect her. So he’d just held her, stroking her hair, enjoying the way her soft, warm body tangled with his as she slept, her head snuggled against his chest.  
But as the fire had burned low, the temperature in the cabin had started to drop. He’d managed to slowly extract himself from her embrace, without waking her. He’d tended to the fire and tucked the blankets in around her, making sure she stayed warm. And then he’d settled on the floor in front of the fireplace to keep watch.   
When he wasn’t looking at her, he was staring into the dancing flames, replaying their lovemaking in his mind.  
The fresh wood he’d added crackled and popped with the release of trapped moisture. Against the muted roar of the storm in the background, the sounds from the burning wood seemed to emphasize the cozy warmth of the cabin.   
Can sighed contentedly and stoked the fire one more time before turning around and leaning back against the couch.   
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this happy. In fact, he was pretty sure he’d never felt anything like this before.  
He felt more at peace than he ever had before. Like every piece of his world had suddenly slid into place.   
He looked over at her peaceful face again. Then, he reached out and gently traced a finger along her cheek, careful not to disturb her sleep.  
God, she was amazing.   
So beautiful. So alive. So…everything.  
He shook his head in wonder, but he couldn’t quite shake the feeling of being in a dream. It all felt so unreal.   
Being here with her, cut off from the rest of the world.   
Finally telling her that he loved her.  
Hearing her say those words back…  
His heart did a funny little squeeze as his mind did a replay of the way her face glowed and how her voice vibrated when she said it.  
‘I love you too’.   
And then he felt it all again, so intensely.   
It was filling him up with light, and joy and this feeling of …rightness. It was almost like a religious experience.  
He smiled wryly and shook his head at his own sappy attempt to put words to how he felt.   
The truth was, there were no words to describe how he felt.   
He sighed, and stared into the subtly shifting glow of the embers forming around the edges of the fire.   
And then of course that happened.  
He smiled and felt his body tingle anew just thinking about it.  
He’d wanted her for so long but he’d been fully prepared to wait, even if it killed him.   
But then…then she’d blown him away – again – when she’d whipped that shirt over her head, baring herself to him, giving herself to him completely, no doubts, no reservations.   
He shifted restlessly, almost groaning out loud as images from the past few hours flashed through his head.   
He’d lost count of how many times they’d made love. Every time they came down from the high, they’d just started over again. It had been unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. They couldn’t seem to get enough of each other.   
He’d been very aware that it had been her first time and he’d promised himself to go slow, to take care of her. And he had, but he’d been taken by surprise by the raw passion that she carried inside her. She’d been as insatiable as he had, unafraid to go after what she wanted.  
He shook his head in awe.   
He had intended to be gentle and careful with her. He hadn’t meant to get rough, but he had been swept up in the intense emotions and sensations she evoked. He’d been so lost in the overwhelming pleasure of it all, so lost in her that he’d let his body take control.   
And she’d met him all the way, exploring, sometimes even taking the lead - surprising the hell out of him even while he delighted in it.  
Can gazed at her in wonder for a moment.  
Then he chuckled silently to himself. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise, he realized.  
As sweet and innocent as she was, she was no china doll. She was more like a force of nature sometimes, so full of fire and determination.  
He chuckled again, reaching out to gently push a lock of hair off her forehead.   
A fresh surge of some powerful emotion startled him.   
It took him a moment to recognize the feeling as possessiveness.   
Interesting.   
That was certainly new.   
He’d never been the possessive type before, but then again, he’d never been with anyone who made him feel like this before.  
And there was no denying that as he sat there watching her sleep peacefully, his inner beast was pawing the ground, growling ‘mine!’  
He shook his head at his own caveman instincts.  
“Ah, Sanem, what are you doing to me?” he mumbled.   
But he was still smiling as he shuffled over to the wood basket to find a new piece to add to the fire. Then, he just sat there staring at the incandescent flames.   
Slowly, he became aware of being watched.   
He glanced back over his shoulder to find her looking at him from the cocoon of blankets he’d wrapped her in, only her face peeking out, and a tumble of chocolate-brown hair across the pillow.   
She was watching him silently with those dark, unfathomable eyes.   
Then she smiled.  
A slow, sensual smile that was at once shy and sexy. It felt like the sun rising and the earth shifting under him all at once. It hit him right in the gut and he almost wanted to pound his chest and roar, making sure the whole world knew that he put that smile on her face.   
“Is it morning?” she mumbled, her voice husky with sleep.  
“Not quite,” he said quietly. “You should go back to sleep.”  
She took in the crumbled blankets on the floor. Then her eyes travelled over his body.   
He’d pulled on the black sweatpants when he got up, but the fire had given off enough heat that he hadn’t bothered searching for his tank top.   
Now her lingering gaze made him shiver.  
But not from cold.   
“Did you sleep at all?” she murmured, as she reached out to him.  
“No, not really,” he swallowed hard, and scooted closer, to press a kiss to her cheek.  
Her hand automatically found his, her fingers tangling with his, sending little pleasurable currents running up his arm.   
“But that’s okay. I was pleasantly occupied while you rested,” he grinned and winked at her.  
She raised a questioning eyebrow at him.  
“I was watching you,” he clarified.  
She chuckled at that, but she also blushed and looked a little shy.  
Shy? How could she be shy after everything they’d done over the past many hours?  
“So…” he said, suddenly feeling inexplicably nervous himself.  
“How are you feeling?” he asked, his eyes roaming over her, his fingers nervously pushing invisible strands of hair off her face.  
“Any regrets?” he probed, only half-joking.  
She looked thoughtful for a moment.   
“Well,” she said pushing into a sitting position. “Some.”   
Can felt like he’d taken a punch to the gut. Like all oxygen had been sucked out of the room.  
“Sanem…” he began, scrambling to get on the couch to sit next to her.   
But she was still talking.  
“I mean, it kind of sucks to know that we could have been doing this all along,” she said gesturing vaguely at the crumbled blankets.   
“So yes, I regret waiting this long,” she finished with a small yawn.  
Can expelled a huge puff of air, relief washing through him.   
Then he noticed the look of mischief in her eyes.  
“You’re messing with me, aren’t you?” he said, realizing that she knew exactly what her words were doing to him.   
She giggled and tugged lightly at his beard.  
“Oh, come on,” she laughed. “That was too easy.”  
She was still laughing as he tackled her, playfully growling a he tickled her through the blanket.   
***

The playfulness lasted all of two seconds. The minute he had her pinned under him, one hand holding her wrists securely above her head, her body arching into his, and her laughing face within kissing distance, he lost his focus.   
The tickling turned to caressing, as his free hand burrowed under the blanket, stroked and smoothed over warm skin, getting lost in tracing the curves of her body. Another minute and her laughter turned to soft moans, as he licked and sucked his way down her neck.   
She wriggled under him, but he didn’t release his firm grip on her wrists, holding her in place.   
“Can,” she moaned, trying to free her hands.   
“Nope,” he whispered, his lips smiling against the shell of her ear.   
“My turn to explore. My turn to touch.”  
She stilled under him, and he lifted his head to look at her face.  
She was staring up at him with a mixture of need and curiosity. Her eyes were dark and hooded, her cheeks were flushed, those soft, pink lips slightly parted. Her breath came in short, shallow pants as curiosity won out and she stopped fighting his hold.   
Slowly, he bent his head, catching her mouth with his in a featherlight kiss. She met him eagerly, trying to deepen the kiss, but he pulled back to hover just out of reach.   
Then he did it again. And again.   
Her body arched into him every time he pulled away, her hips bucking under him in frustration.   
Slowly he released her wrists, trailing his hand down her arms, as he started kissing his way down her body, pushing the blanket out of the way as he went.   
She sighed, but kept her hands above her head, letting him uncover and explore her body freely.  
Somewhere along the way, the blanket fell on the floor followed by his sweatpants, as he licked, sucked, and kissed every inch of her.   
He took his time, delighting in every line in her lithe body, the texture of her skin, her taste, her scent, the way her small, firm breasts fit so perfectly in the palm of his hand, the combination of softness and toned muscle, everything about her seemed just right.   
As if she’d been made just for him.   
And he couldn’t get enough of her.   
He slowly nudged her legs further apart, kissing his way from her knees, up the inside of her thighs, first on one leg, then the other. Sanem was squirming and panting, making small mewling sounds, completely giving herself over to his touch.   
He was burning up with need for her, but for a moment her complete trust in him made his chest tighten painfully with the strong flash of love that seared through the haze of desire, making it burn even brighter.   
He bit lightly into the fleshy part of her inner thigh, and then licked the spot, repeating the process on the other thigh, biting and licking his way to her center.   
She was absolutely glorious in her surrender when he finally reached that wet heat, and continued to lick and suck, adding pressure then retreating, using his mouth and his fingers to drive her over the edge. He watched her come undone, almost losing it himself in her pleasure.  
Sanem was still recovering when he scooped her up and laid her out on the blankets in front of the fire.  
He lowered himself next to her, continuing to stroke he hair, his hands smoothing down her body, as she caught her breath.   
She turned her face into his chest, pressing soft kisses to his tattoo, as he held her.  
He caught her mouth with his, kissing her deeply. The kisses turned hot and passionate almost instantly, her body coming alive again, as she circled her arms around his neck pulling him down on top of her.   
He ran his nose down the side of her neck, briefly enjoying her hands travelling up his back.  
Then he flipped her over on her stomach, grinning at her startled yelp.  
“I’m not done exploring,” he whispered, his lips smiling against her cheek.   
And then he gave the same attention to her backside.   
He pushed the mass of dark hair off her shoulders to reveal that delicate neck and her strong, slender back. His hands spanned down her back and he got caught up in the way she arched under his touch, with almost feline grace.   
The absolute perfection of her perky, rounded ass, almost had him abandon his project, but he continued, stroking and kissing all the way from her ankles, up her calves, the soft spot at the back of her knee, her supple thighs…back to that deliciously curvy ass.   
And that’s when he stopped thinking and his body took over.  
With a low growl, instinct took control as he covered her with his body, worshipping her with his mouth, his hands, reveling in her answering moans and squirms. His caresses got rougher, more urgent, and he could feel his control slipping. He fought to hold on to it until he was sure she was ready. Then, with a loud groan, he bit into the fleshy part of her shoulder as he entered her, finally letting go. 

***

Judging by the light, it was well past noon when he woke, but the storm made it hard to tell. The fire had burned down, and the room was starting to get a little chilly. Can pulled the blankets closer around them, debating with himself if it was cold enough to bother moving or if he could sneak a few more moments under the covers.   
Surely, their combined body-heat would keep them warm enough for now, he decided, languidly running his fingers through her hair.  
Sanem made a soft sound and shifted in his arms. He could feel her eyelashes move against his skin as she opened her eyes and blinked, once, twice. Then, her hand splayed on his stomach and she lifted her head slightly to look at his face.   
“Morning,” he mumbled as her sleep-drugged eyes met his.  
“Morning,” she replied with a soft smile.  
Then she frowned and looked around.  
“Or is it?” she said, sounding more alert.  
“Actually, I think it’s more like afternoon,” he said, lazily stroking her hair, his hand trailing down her back.   
“Oh,” she said, her eyes returning to his.  
Did her cheeks look a little flushed? he wondered.  
“Should we get moving?” she asked hesitantly.  
“I’m not sure I can,” he said with an exaggerated groan and winked at her.  
This time her cheeks definitely turned pink, he noticed.  
“I mean, should we get going? You know, home?” she said.  
He loved that she referred to the cottage as home, he realized, as he slowly traced the curve of her hip with his fingers.  
“I think we need to wait it out for a bit longer,” he said seriously, turning on his side to face her.   
“It sounds like the storm is losing its grip a little, but it’s nowhere near safe enough for the trek through the forest yet,” he added. “I’d rather not risk it.”  
He leaned in and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose.  
“If you need to call anyone I have the satellite phone here?” he offered, suddenly realizing that he hadn’t bothered to ask if anyone was expecting a call from her.   
“No, I was just wondering if you needed to get back,” she said, a speculative look in her eye.  
That look reminded him that there was still a lot they needed to talk about. Even if none of it felt very important compared to what had happened between the two of them.   
He sighed and rolled onto his back again, pulling her with him, tugging her head under his chin.  
“Jake knows we’re here and he won’t expect us back till this blows over,” he said, playing with her fingers.   
She thought about that for a second.  
“Okay,” she said, simply accepting that they were stuck there for now.  
And then her stomach growled.   
Can couldn’t help the laughter bubbling up. It looked like that appetite of hers was going to play third wheel to their romance once again.   
But it reminded him that neither of them had had anything to eat since lunch yesterday. Between the frantic search for her, the all-consuming fear of losing her, the desperate need to make sure she was okay once he found her…and then the crazy, deliriously happy aftermath, he hadn’t once thought about food.   
Her stomach growled again, the hollow, drawn out sound as loud as if her belly was an empty cathedral. Amazing really, considering how tiny she was, he thought briefly.   
He chuckled and rubbed her belly for a second.  
“Why don’t you go and take a shower while I find us something to eat?” he said, nuzzling her neck.   
“Mmmm…” she murmured, leaning into his caress.  
“I mean…I’d join you,” he mumbled against her skin, his hands trailing down her body, unwrapping the blanket as they went.  
“Help you lather up…”   
She gasped when the blanket dropped to the ground and his hands travelled back up her naked body, smoothing over warm skin.  
“But unfortunately, the water heater up here is tiny,” he said, rolling away and getting to his feet.   
She made a sound of protest and reached for the blanket, when his body no longer kept the chilly air at bay.   
“Oh, no you don’t,” he grinned, and pulled the blanket out of her reach.   
“Get up sleepy-head. You need to eat,” he ordered playfully.  
She sulked, as he grabbed her by the hand, and pulled her to her feet.   
“God, it’s cold in here,” she mumbled, hugging herself for warmth.  
“I’ll get the fire going in a minute,” he promised, pulling her against his body and wrapping his arms around her.   
He just meant to ward off the chill, but the feel of her naked body pressed against his, instantly distracted him from what he was supposed to be doing. Without thinking he bent his head and pressed his lips to the spot just under her ear, trailing kisses down her neck.   
She moaned softly and tilted her head to give him better access, her arms creeping around his waist. Her lips feathered across his chest, re-igniting that fire that seemed to hover just under the surface all the time now, just barely banked. His arms tightened around her, and his lips searched blindly for hers. He kissed her greedily, marveling at how his hunger for her wasn’t the least bit diminished.   
How was that possible? With the night they’d just had? But with her, it felt like the more he had, the more he wanted.   
He was just about to give in and forget all about heat and food, when he felt her shiver, and his brain kicked in again.   
Reluctantly, he took a step back, fighting to get his breathing under control.  
She was staring at him, her eyes dark and cloudy with need, her breathing heavy. Then she seemed to realize that he meant business, and the sultry stare turned into a petulant pout.  
“Really? Oh, you are such a tease!” she said, pushing lightly against his chest. He couldn’t help laughing at the disgruntled look on her face  
“Did you just call me a tease?” he asked, still chuckling.   
She just arched her brows at him, but her offended look was slightly ruined by the renewed growls from her belly-region.  
Can just grinned at her indignant expression and grabbed her hands.   
“A hot shower will make you feel better,” he said, leading her to the bathroom.  
“I was feeling just fine,” she muttered under her breath.  
“I promise I’ll have food ready when you’re done,” he wheedled, as she dragged her feet.  
“Help yourself to what’s in there,” he shrugged, as he pushed her gently through the door.  
“Towels are on the top shelf,” he said indicating a tall, narrow cabinet next to the small sink.  
“Can…” she began, turning to face him.   
He ignored the pleading note in her voice.  
“Remember…don’t linger in the shower,” he said, fighting a grin.   
“You wouldn’t believe how cold the water is, if you let the heater run out!”  
He ducked out of the bathroom, closing the door quickly behind him, before she got any ideas…or he did. He was sorely tempted to ignore the tiny heater and make the most of what hot water was there. But that kind of thing was better enjoyed back home where there was plenty of hot water and a much more spacious shower!   
When the door to the bathroom remained closed, he went in search of his clothes and got to work. 

***

Ten minutes later the fire was blazing anew, and already starting to heat up the tiny cabin. Can was rummaging through the cupboards, taking stock of the food-situation. He hadn’t been up here for a while, but luckily, he always kept a supply of canned and dried goods.  
It wasn’t going to be a gourmet meal by a long shot, he realized as he looked over the options, but at least they’d be full and warm. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d had to survive on that for a few days.  
He settled for a box of ‘just-add-water’ pancake mix and some baked beans. It was the closest thing to breakfast food he could find and they could both do with a hot meal, he figured.  
He had just finished mixing the batter when the bathroom door opened.   
Sanem stepped out wrapped in a towel, barely large enough to cover her from her breasts to the top of her thighs. Her towel-dried hair hung lose around her shoulders, a few damp tendrils clinging to her skin. Steam billowed out around her towel-wrapped figure, making her look like an apparition.  
Can just couldn’t help it. He was distantly aware that the whisk clattered noisily onto the countertop, as he pushed the mixing-bowl aside. He seemed to have lost all impulse-control for the moment and forgot all about food as his eyes travelled hungrily up her body. From her dainty feet, up those slender, toned legs, lingering briefly at the top of her strong, supple thighs, to where the edge of the towel obstructed his view.   
He felt his mouth go dry, as his eyes kept going up, taking in the curves barely hidden under the terry cloth. His eyes were caught by a single, fat drop of water trickling down from her hair, travelling slowly down her graceful neck, down her chest, soaking into the towel just where it tied over her breasts. He swallowed hard, instinctively taking a step towards her.  
“Do you know where my clothes are?” she asked sweetly, apparently oblivious to his ravenous scrutiny.   
“Huh?” he said, momentarily confused.  
“My clothes?” she repeated, doing that unfair head-tilt, that made him want to kiss her silly. Especially that spot at the base of her neck…  
Wait. What was she asking?  
“Oh! Yes, actually…” he said wiping his hands unnecessarily on a dish towel.  
“About that…” he gave her an apologetic look.   
“We kind of got sidetracked last night,” he said with a sheepish smile. “And I’m afraid I forgot to hang them up to dry. They’re still soaking wet,” he said, pointing to where he’d just draped her clothes over a chair near the fire.   
Sanem looked at her dripping clothes.   
Then, she looked down at her towel-wrapped body.   
Finally, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, a smile tugging at her lips.  
“Can Divit!” she asked playfully, folding her arms across her chest. “Did you plan this to keep me a prisoner here?”  
“You got me!” he grinned, trying not to let himself get distracted by the way the towel rose another inch with her movement.   
He cleared his throat.   
“In fact, would you mind handing me those wet clothes?” he said. “I think I’ll just burn them and have done with it. Then we’ll have to stay here for good,” he grinned, waggling his eyebrows at her.   
With an effort, he pulled his eyes away from that skimpy little towel and turned his attention back to the food he was supposed to be preparing.   
“Why don’t you just pick out some of my clothes in the drawers over there,” he said over his shoulder, nodding at the chest against the wall.  
“I’ll have these pancakes done by the time you’re dressed,” he promised.  
“Oooh, Pancakes!” she clapped her hands in delight, and before he knew it, she had launched herself at him, her towel-clad body leaning into him. The softness of her breasts pressed against his arm as she rose on her toes and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.   
“I love pancakes,” she gushed, peppering small kisses over his face, all the while pressing all that barely covered softness against him…  
Can closed his eyes and counted to ten.   
‘Deep breath, Divit,’ he thought.  
‘Don’t think about the towel. Don’t think about what’s under the towel. Don’t think…’  
With a barely suppressed groan he turned and reached for her, fully aware that he was showing about as much restraint as a hormone-ridden teenager, but helpless to do anything about it.   
But she danced out of reach before he could get a hold of her, leaving him with a handful of damp towel and a perfect view of her gloriously naked backside as she traipsed to the chest of drawers and started looking through his clothes.  
‘Dear god, that ass…’  
For a second he was too stunned to act.   
Then, she looked at him over her shoulder…and flashed him a wicked grin.  
“You…” he spluttered.  
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” he said, as she giggled at his dazed expression.  
“Now who’s the tease,” he mumbled as he shook his head, laughing quietly.   
“Two can play that game, Can Divit,” she announced over an armful of his clothes.  
“Yeah, well, it’ll be your fault if breakfast is burned and inedible,” he countered. “You can’t expect a man to concentrate on the delicate process of flipping pancakes when you scramble his brains like that.”  
Sanem just laughed and pulled one of his sweaters over her head. It was much too big on her slight frame, and she had to roll up the sleeves several times to free her hands. But the faded cotton knit draped itself around her body in a way that made him wish she’d always wear his clothes.   
When she came back to lean on the counter next to him, she’d pulled on a pair of his socks too. On her, they were knee-high and a little lose, but rather than looking ridiculous, she somehow managed to look both adorable and sexy.  
He gulped and had to make a conscious effort to concentrate on what he was doing.  
“What can I do?” she asked, pulling a pancake from the rapidly building stack, eagerly breaking off a piece and stuffing it in her mouth.   
She moaned in pleasure as she chewed the fluffy pancake, almost making him drop the spatula.  
“So good,” she mumbled, cramming a second piece in her mouth.  
Can stared at her, wondering if he was losing his mind.   
How could he be getting all hot and bothered by a hungry girl eating a pancake?   
‘Focus, Divit!’ He tapped his forehead with two fingers, as if he could force his mind to clear.  
“Umm…” he said.  
‘Plates, you idiot!’ his inner voice jumped in.   
“Right, you can set the table,” he said, finally finding the right track. “Plates are in there,” he pointed at the cabinet over the sink.  
As she got to work, he took a deep breath and poured another dollop of batter. 

***

Breakfast was fun and relaxed, as they chatted over pancakes and beans. The coffee was instant and slightly past its prime, but it was strong and hot, and in the moment, it felt like the best cup of coffee he’d ever had.   
He had no idea how long they lingered at the table, because as usual he lost track of time when he was talking to her. But it didn’t really matter, he decided. They were stuck here for now anyway, so they might as well take advantage of the short hiatus they’d been granted.   
He smiled as he noticed that she’d cleaned her plate as thoroughly as he had.   
“More pancakes?” he asked, nodding at her clean plate.   
“Don’t even offer,” she groaned, rubbing her belly. “I ate so much, but I would probably eat more if it was on my plate.” She grimaced.  
“Why am I so hungry today?” she wondered out loud. “It must be something in the mountain air or something…” she added, in answer to her own question.  
Can laughed and reached over to pinch her cheek.   
“Or something,” he agreed with a wink. “It looks like we both worked up quite an appetite,” he added, looking meaningfully at their plates.   
They’d both practically licked their plates of every last crumb.  
“Oh,” she said, blushing a pretty pink.   
She toyed with her fork for a moment. Then she put it back down on her plate.   
“So, have you called Jake to let him know we’re staying?” she asked, obviously trying to change the subject.   
“Not yet,” he said. “I’ll call after breakfast…or late lunch or whatever this is,” he shrugged.   
“But he’s not expecting my call. He knows where we are and that I’d call him if I needed help.”  
Sanem was looking at him over the rim of her coffee mug, that speculative look back in her eyes.   
He studied her face for a moment. Then he put down his own mug and reached across the small table for her hand.  
“Speaking of Jake,” he said slowly, rubbing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb.  
“Yesterday when I was bringing my group back to camp, he called me.”   
Sanem was toying with her mug but glanced up at him quickly as he paused.  
“He told me I needed to get back home to talk to you,” he continued, trying to catch her eye.  
“Something about Denise?” he added, frowning as a strange look flashed over her face.   
But she quickly recovered and pulled her hand out of his.   
“What did he tell you exactly?” she asked over her shoulder as she got up and started making more coffee.   
“Not much,” he replied with a frown. It didn’t escape him that she wasn’t looking at him.  
“Do you want one more?” she asked raising her mug.  
He nodded and brought his mug over, leaning his hip casually on the counter next to her, while she busied herself filling the kettle, and measuring coffee.  
“Look, Sanem,” he said. “If you don’t want to talk about this, we don’t have to, okay?”   
“I mean…I really don’t want to talk about Denise…or about anything else that could ruin our time here together,” he added, studying her face for clues.  
“It’s just that…well, Jake made it sound like it was really important,” he finished.  
Sanem silently handed him his mug and then she leaned on the counter next to him, her hip just grazing his.   
For a long moment she just stared into the depths of her coffee, like it held the answers to the universe.   
“Okay,” she said with a sigh. “Let’s talk then.”

***

She walked over to the couch and curled up in one corner, cradling her mug in both hands.   
He recognized that posture. It was her ‘I’m feeling vulnerable but I’m going to go through with this’-pose.   
Can sat down next to her. Just far enough to give her space but close enough to reach her, if he needed to hug her. Something about her demeanor was making him feel antsy and he had a feeling he was going to need the physical contact.  
“What’s going on, Sanem?” he asked when she didn’t say anything.  
She sighed deeply and then she looked up at him.  
“I was in town yesterday, at the coffee shop, hanging out with Gee and Jake,” she began.   
“While I was there, we accidentally overheard Denise on the phone. I don’t know who she was talking to, but she was saying all these things about you and the offer she made you.”   
Sanem paused and took a sip of her coffee.  
“Can, she made it pretty clear that she wasn’t giving up on getting you to take that job,” she said, sounding almost apologetic.  
“She sounded very confident that she’d get you to sign the contract,” she added.  
Can frowned and stared into the fire, his mind whirling with questions.   
So many things were off about this entire situation, he hardly knew where to begin.  
First of all, he didn’t understand why it seemed to matter so much to Denise to get him to do this job. He’d declined jobs before and she’d never even asked him why. What made this one different? What was in it for her?  
And second, why would she think that she could make him change his mind? When had he ever been swayed once he’d made up his mind about something? If anything, he was too stubborn, and Denise knew it. So, what did she think she could use to change that?  
And another thing, who had she been talking to? Who else would want him to do this?   
This was just a job-offer.   
He’d declined it. End of story.   
Or at least it should have been the end of it, as far as he was concerned.   
Why all this fuss?   
It made no sense.   
He’d forgotten about the mug in his hands until Sanem’s hands gently pried it out of his white-knuckled grip and placed it on the floor at a safe distance.  
Then, her hands replaced the mug, as she took his hand and pulled it into her lap.  
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” she asked quietly.   
“And don’t tell me it’s nothing,” she added. “I let you get away with that after Denise’ visit, but you really need to tell me what’s going on, Can.”  
He shook his head as he looked at her.  
“I really, honestly don’t know,” he said feeling completely in the dark.   
“I mean, I really thought that whole job-offer-thing was a closed issue. I told her no, and I meant it.” He shrugged feeling more confused by the minute.   
“I have no idea why she’s pursuing this - or why she thinks she can persuade me,” he added.   
He bit his lip thoughtfully for a moment.   
“Did she say anything else?” he asked.  
“Not about the job, no,” Sanem said. There was a strange note to her voice, but he shrugged it off as his mind kept throwing suggestions at him.  
“None of this makes any sense to me,” he finally said, letting his head fall back against the cushions, staring up at the ceiling.   
“So…there’s no reason why Denise would think you owe her?” Sanem asked carefully.   
“No, why?” he frowned in confusion.  
“Well, when she visited the other day, she made it sound like she’d done you a big favor in the past. I thought maybe she’d expect you to return it…or something?” she said.   
“Well, sure, she helped me out by getting me started freelancing,” he explained. “She kind of saved me from being forced into the family business, but it wasn’t exactly a favor. She’s gotten quite a lot of work on my account too, so I’d say we’re pretty much even on that score,” he added.   
Then something occurred to him.  
“Wait, why would Jake insist that I talk to you about all this so urgently?” he asked, turning his head to look at her.  
“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you told me, but I don’t see why it was so urgent - or why it had to come from you?” he frowned, feeling like he was missing vital pieces of the puzzle in front of him.   
Sanem, was looking decidedly uncomfortable he noticed.   
“Sanem?” he probed.  
She squirmed in her seat, making it painfully obvious that she was leaving something out.   
And come to think of it, none if this would explain why she’d needed to go for a hike to clear her head after leaving the coffee shop.   
“Did something else happen, Sanem?” he asked, shifting a little closer to her.   
She looked down at her hands.   
Then, she looked at the sliver of skin, visible through the open buttons of his Henley-shirt.  
She reached up a hand and toyed with the buttons, studiously avoiding his eyes.   
Can groaned in frustration.   
“Sanem?” he said. “Please, talk to me.”  
How quickly their roles were reversed he thought fleetingly, as he waited her out.   
“Okay, fine,” she said sounding almost defiant.  
“Denise said some other things…about…well, me. And you. About you being with me,” she said haltingly.  
“Yeees?” he prodded.  
“She said that I’m not your type and that I’m just a summer fling, and that you’ll get bored with me.” The words came out in a tumbled rush, and he had to take a minute to put it all together.   
Sanem wasn’t looking at him, and she had suddenly tensed up like she was expecting the worst.   
“Sanem?” he said gently.  
“Sanem, will you please look at me?” he asked.   
When she didn’t react, he reached out and tugged at her chin to get her to look at him.  
“Sanem,” he said softly. “Please tell me you didn’t believe her.”  
He looked at her for a moment, taking in the changing emotions flitting across her face.   
“Look,” he said. “Denise has no clue what she’s talking about, okay?” he continued. “She has no idea who or what my type is …if there even is such a thing. She’s only seen me on publicity dates set up by the company or with the few women I’ve had brief affairs with…” he paused as he felt her wince at his words.  
“She’s never seen me with anyone I truly cared about,” he said.  
Sanem looked up at him through the corner of her eye. The hopeful expression on her face tore at his heart.   
“She’s never seen me in love,” he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.  
He felt her relax and lean into him.  
Then she pulled back a little to look at him.   
“So…you’re not…you know, disappointed in me, then?” she asked hesitantly, gesturing at herself.   
“Disappointed in you?” he asked incredulously.   
“What are you talking about?” he stared at her for a long moment.   
“Wait…what else did Denise say?” he asked, aware that his voice had taken on a murderous tone.  
She bit her lip for a second.  
“Just something about me not looking like the women you normally go for,” she mumbled.   
Can ground his teeth, silently cursing Denise.  
“Sanem, I don’t really know if I believe in having a ‘type’, but I can tell you that if I should describe mine? Then you’re exactly my type!” he said.   
“Honey, I didn’t think I’d have to tell you this after last night, but don’t you know that I’m crazy about you? That I was crazy about you even before I knew I was in love with you?”  
He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled at her.  
She gave him a shy smile in return.  
“Sanem,” he said, his voice suddenly feeling strangely rough in his throat. “Last night I told you I love you. I meant that. I love you so much, it scares me a little.”  
A brilliant smile lit up her face.   
“You’re everything I could ever want - more than I ever knew I wanted. You’re funny, smart, heartbreakingly beautiful…” he reached up to stroke her cheek.  
“And of course, you’re incredibly sexy,” he said, loving the rush of color in her cheeks.   
“You take my breath away on a regular basis - even with all your clothes on!” he added with a wink.  
Her laughter made him feel like Superman and her hauled in for a tight hug.   
“Never, ever listen to anything that woman says ever again, okay?” he said into her hair.   
She nodded and giggled as he started pressing kisses all over her face.  
“You know, just to be sure, I think I’m going to have to make it my mission to prove to you just how irresistible you are to me,” he mumbled against her skin.   
The giggles turned to sighs when his lips found that spot under her ear, and she melted into him.   
He was never going to get tired of the way she responded to his touch, he thought.  
And then her hands were pushing up under his shirt, setting his skin on fire wherever she touched, and he decided that they’d had enough conversation.


	32. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm blows over and Can and Sanem are making their way home - not really ready to face the world yet, but the world is waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a transition piece, setting the scene for the next stage so to speak. I'm afraid the Honeymoon is over for now...but not for long ;-)

It was as if Mother Nature had pressed ‘reset’ and made everything go back to normal, Sanem thought in wonder, as she trudged along behind Can. The sky had cleared, and the sun was out. The air was once again balmy and fragrant with wildflowers. A light breeze ruffled her hair and cooled her neck, as they walked along barely visible game trails, through parts of the woods that she wouldn’t have recognized even if she’d seen them in daylight on the trip here.   
It would have been hard to believe the ferocity of the storm that had still blasted around the cabin just hours earlier, if not for the obvious evidence all around them.   
Sanem stopped for a second to take in her surroundings.   
There was something slightly surreal about the way everything sounded normal, in spite of the destruction clearly visible everywhere. If she closed her eyes, it all felt completely ordinary.   
She could feel the sun on her face, the light wind in her hair. She could smell wet dirt and molding leaves, the resinous scent from fir trees and the sharper notes of freshly cut wood, the subtle perfume from wildflowers and a million other woodsy scents. She could hear birds chirping, leaves rustling in the light breeze, and branches making soft, creaking noises as they swayed in the wind. There was the sound of water trickling over rocks somewhere off to her left, and some sort of small animal stirring up dead leaves. All sounds and smells that belonged in a forest, on any normal summer day.   
But then, when you opened your eyes…  
Sanem slowly opened her eyes and looked around again.   
The forest looked like a giant had reached down and ripped out large chunks of trees like they were grass. There were patches of fallen fir trees, dead branches and deadfalls everywhere, young trees snapped in half, like they were matches, trees with open wounds from branches that had been ripped off in the storm.  
It was chilling proof of the destructive power of the weather front that had passed overhead, and she felt a shiver down her spine at the thought of what might have happened if Can hadn’t come for her.   
As if he knew she was thinking of him he turned around and beckoned for her catch up with him.   
She smiled and ran to him, impulsively throwing her arms around him, as much as his backpack would allow.  
His arms immediately caught her, and she could feel him chuckling as he held her tight.  
“What was that for?” he said, when she pulled back a little.  
“I’m just…really, really happy,” she shrugged. “And so grateful that you found me. That you came for me,” she added quietly, looking at the destruction around them.  
She could feel his eyes on her.  
Then, he pulled her in for a tight hug, his arms sliding under the smaller bulk of her backpack, as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.  
“I’ll always come for you,” he said solemnly.  
Something about the way he said it, made it sound like a vow.  
She turned her face into his chest and inhaled deeply. Then she sighed happily and pushed out of his arms.   
“Okay, Tarzan,” she said lightly, shaking off the mood. “Lead us out of this jungle please.”   
“Tarzan?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Well, if that makes you Jane, I’ll go with it,” he grinned suggestively.  
She felt herself blush a little, and hurried ahead of him to hide her confusion. She could hear him laughing quietly behind her.  
‘Way to go, Sanem!’ her inner voice whispered. ‘Why don’t you just invite the man to join your next girl-talk with Zoe? Let him in on every crazy phantasy in your head and get it over with.’  
“Tarzan was Zoe’s idea, not mine,” she muttered, as she carefully stepped over a fallen branch. She glanced at him quickly to check that he hadn’t heard, but he just moved around the branch and walked on ahead of her, concentrating on looking for the safest route.   
It was slow going through the forest, jumping over fallen branches and deadfalls, carefully skirting around trees that looked like fall-risks.   
But they were in no hurry, and Sanem found herself enjoying the hike, even if she regretted leaving Can’s cozy little cabin behind.   
She had silently hoped for another day of being cooped up, isolated from the rest of the world, just the two of them talking for hours, exploring this new relationship in every possible way.   
But when they woke up this morning, the sky was a clear blue, and the sun was just rising above the trees.   
Normally, that would be a good start to her day, but today she’d greeted the beautiful morning with a regretful sigh, knowing that the end of the storm meant the end of their isolation.   
But of course, that was just silly.  
They would have just as much opportunity to be alone and enjoy each other’s company back at the cottage as they had up here, she told herself.  
It was just that it had felt different being up here.   
Somehow, knowing that they were cut off and out of reach, had made her more daring. More open in what she shared with him.   
She blushed a little at the thought of just how daring she’d been. How much she’d shared and how well they’d been getting to know each other over the past 48 hours.   
Can gave her a questioning look, but she just smiled and squeezed the hand he held out to help her over the trunk of a large fallen tree. Once she was safely over, he vaulted over easily, pushing off the trunk with one hand.   
He made it look so easy, she thought a little grudgingly as she watched him make the jump. But then again, he was about twice her size, so there was that.   
Besides, who was she kidding?   
She loved watching him do stuff like that.   
His impressive physique was just something she wasn’t going to get used to in a hurry and she had to admit, it did funny things to her insides that he was so…physically adept.  
‘Physically adept?’ her inner voice snorted. ‘You mean the man is so fit it’s almost a crime, and the fact that he knows how to handle himself in the wild…knows how to use that body…it’s just straight up hot!’  
Sanem mentally shrugged at that, but she couldn’t help the smug little smile that hovered around her lips as she followed his lead through the woods.  
Yeah, it was hot.   
He was hot!  
‘And he’s mine!’ The words seemed to ring through her head, clear as a bell.   
She sighed and fanned herself surreptitiously.  
There was no point denying it.   
Every time she looked at him her pulse raced, her belly clenched and there seemed to be something wrong with her breathing.   
And that was when he was fully dressed and doing absolutely nothing!  
Now, watching him move effortlessly through the storm-mangled forest, she was struggling to focus on breathing at all while putting one foot in front of the other.   
It was pathetic actually!  
And come to think of it, it was really irritating that he seemed to have no problem concentrating on navigating through the ravaged woods.   
She frowned a little, wondering why he didn’t seem the least bit affected by her, when she was so hyper-aware of him every time he was even in the same zip-code!   
It was totally unfair.   
And it seemed to have gotten a lot worse after what happened at the cabin, she realized, as she once again lost her train of thought, watching the way his jeans tightened around his strong thighs when he stepped up on a large rock formation, or how solid his forearm looked under the sleeve of that t-shirt, when he reached a hand down to help her up. And that hand…   
Sanem looked at it for a long moment before placing her hand in his and letting him haul her up.  
She loved his hands. Big and strong, yet elegant, with long, squared off fingers that were just so sexy…  
Sanem sighed as her mind cherry-picked images from the last two days, of those hands touching her, moving over her body, doing things to her that no one had ever done before.  
“Sanem?”   
“God, yes…” she mumbled, dreamily.  
“Sanem?” Can’s voice finally penetrated her daydreaming.   
“Huh? What? Sorry, I was…my mind just…I guess I was far away there for a second,” she said, blushing furiously.  
Can frowned in confusion. Then, a look of understanding crept onto his face and a small, knowing smile tugged at his lips.  
“Where you, now?” he said softly.  
“Well, Miss Sanem,” he drawled, jumping down on the other side of the rock and holding up a hand to help her get down. “Navigating a forest right after a storm is tricky business and it requires your full attention, so please, eyes front and center!” he ordered playfully, pointing at his own chest for emphasis.   
“Believe me, I’m looking!” she mumbled under her breath, as she made a wobbly descent.  
“What was that?” he asked, stepping closer.  
“Nothing! All good. I’ll pay attention,” she said standing up straight.   
She was tempted to do a scout salute, but figured he’d probably take that the wrong way.   
He studied her flushed face for a moment.  
Then he reached out and pushed a strand of hair off her face, his fingers trailing leisurely behind her ear and down the side of neck.  
Sanem’s breath stuttered.   
His eyes grew perceptibly darker, and he licked his lips.   
The back of her neck suddenly felt hot.  
Time seemed to slow down.  
She couldn’t tear her eyes from his, and she felt her pulse quicken.   
He stepped in slowly, crowding her up against the rock, leaning so close his nose briefly dragged up the side of hers. His breath feathered over her face, and she thought she even felt his eyelashes when he blinked.   
“Sanem,” he breathed. “If you keep looking at me like that, we’re not going to make it out of these woods by nightfall.”   
He pulled back a little, to look at her.  
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”   
His eyes had turned dark and stormy. Some kind of wild and animalistic emotion was churning just underneath the surface, barely contained.  
Sanem had the sudden impression that one small indication from her would have his control snap, and they’d both be swept up in that whirlwind of passion she saw in his eyes.  
She swallowed hard, trying to remember why that would be a bad thing.  
“Okay” she whispered, not really sure what the question was.   
He looked at her for a second longer, the hunger in his eyes making her belly clench and she instinctively rubbed her thighs together.  
“We better get going,” he croaked in a hoarse voice, his hooded eyes lingering on her lips.   
“Uh-huh,” she whispered, unconsciously licking her bottom lip, in response to his gaze.  
He groaned out something unintelligible and then his hands were in her hair, his lips hard on hers, devouring her in a kiss so rough and untamed, she could almost taste blood.   
One hard-muscled arm pulled her in abruptly, flattening her body against his, in an iron-hold that she knew she wouldn’t be able to break even if she wanted to.   
But she didn’t want to.   
She could feel his heart pounding as she flattened her hand on his chest, only to curl it into his t-shirt, pulling him even closer.  
He was grinding against her furiously, pushing her hard up against the rock, his hand roaming roughly over her body.   
There was a roaring in her ears, and she responded purely on instinct, welcoming his thrusting hips as she arched up against his body with an all-consuming need to get closer.  
Her body was coming alive, silently screaming ‘yes, yes,’ but not a sound passed her lips.  
There had been a lot of kissing, and a lot of lovemaking these past two days, but none of that had prepared her for this. There was nothing gentle or careful about the way he touched her now. It was wild and primitive and greedy. And it was sexy as hell, she thought dimly as he slid his hand down the back of her leg, curling around the back of her knee, and yanking her leg up so he could grind against the most sensitive part of her. She instinctively wrapped her leg around his hip, and clung to his shoulders, her mind spinning dizzily.   
There was something overwhelmingly erotic and exciting about his unapologetic, carnal need that she couldn’t help but respond to. Her own need spiraled out of control making her pull at his clothes, scratch her nails over his skin and forget that they were in the middle of a forest.  
Can was pushing and tearing at her clothes, until his hands found their way up underneath her t-shirt and made contact with her naked skin. He growled against her neck and cupped her breasts roughly through her lacy bra. His fingers found her nipples, alternating between tugging sharply, then rubbing soothing circles, making her gasp and whine with the surprisingly heady combination of blinding pleasure and the slight sting of pain.   
Sanem was barely aware of her own frenzied response. Her hips were bucking and grinding against him, mindlessly seeking relief from the rapidly building tension. Her fingers stabbed into his hair, her nails clawing the skin of his neck and lower back, her teeth biting hard into the thick muscle of his shoulder through the fabric of his t-shirt. On some level she was conscious of being out of control. But at the same time, it felt liberating and just too good to worry about the consequences.   
Can pushed the backpack off her shoulders, pinning her body flat against the rock with his hips, his mouth back on hers in a deep, hungry kiss before she could catch her breath.  
He dumped the backpack on the ground next to them without looking where it fell, and wriggled out of his own, never breaking the kiss. His hands slid down her body, cupping her ass, lifting her, pulling her roughly against the hardness of his denim-clad arousal. He mumbled something into her mouth, but she couldn’t make sense of it.  
He pulled his mouth from hers just long enough to gulp down a mouthful of air and repeat his harsh command to wrap her legs around him.  
She complied eagerly, desperate to increase the pressure where she needed it. Can was panting in her ear, his hot breath washing down her neck, his hands gripping her thighs with bruising strength as he ground and rotated his hips into her. Sanem let her head fall back, closing her eyes, as the pleasure began building to a rapid crescendo. She wanted to tell him what he was doing to her, but her release rushed over her so swiftly and so powerfully she couldn’t make a sound. Her eyes widened in surprise and her whole body clenched up, air rushed out of her lungs, and she collapsed against his chest with a helpless gasp as she rode it out.   
For a moment she was conscious of nothing. It was like all sound had been muted, and her eyes felt so heavy she didn’t have the strength to try and open them.   
Her legs felt like rubber as they slipped from around his hips and he lowered her to the ground. Thankfully he didn’t let go of her, but held her tight against his body, his other hand running through her hair, stroking down her back, in a soothing rhythm.  
She could hear his heart hammering like crazy in his chest, and his lungs working overtime like he’d just run a marathon.   
Good to know it wasn’t just her then, she thought vaguely as she tried to find the energy to open her eyes.  
Can let her take her time, his big hands smoothing down her back, his arms holding her close, making her feel safe and cared for.  
When she finally lifted her head to look at him, she still felt slightly woozy, her brain not quite up to speed yet.   
“Woah!” she mumbled as she stared at him fuzzily.  
“What was that?”  
Can smiled a little sheepishly and pressed a kiss to her forehead.  
“That was…I don’t know what that was,” he admitted looking a little shocked himself.  
“Did I hurt you? Are you okay?” he asked with a worried frown.  
Sanem couldn’t help a small giggle.  
“Believe me, I’m more than okay,” she chuckled.   
“Just a little…overwhelmed, I think.”  
He made a non-committal sound and tucked her head under his chin again.  
She listened as his heartrate slowly returned to normal.  
“So, I…I didn’t scare you off?” he asked, his voice rumbling softly through his chest.   
“Scare me off?” she asked lifting her head to look at him.   
The look of uncertainty on his face made her rise up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips.   
“Can, you don’t scare me. It was pretty intense, but…” she felt herself blush again.  
“It was hot!” she whispered and hid her face against his chest again, not really sure if she was more excited or shocked by her own behavior.   
She was definitely discovering new sides to herself, she thought with a rush of illicit thrill.   
He stilled for a second. Then his hands resumed stroking her back and she thought she heard a sigh of relief.  
The sounds of the forest slowly came back into focus and she relaxed against him.  
Then something occurred to her, and her head snapped up, her eyes wide and panicked.  
“What?” he asked, looking faintly amused at her sudden alarm.  
“Oh my God! Can! I can’t believe we just did that,” she exclaimed.   
“I can’t believe I just did that! What if someone had come by? What if somebody had seen us?” she ranted, as realization set in.   
Can just laughed at her acute embarrassment.  
“I wouldn’t worry about that, my love,” he chuckled, ruffling her hair.   
“I can pretty much guarantee that right now, we’re about as private and isolated out here in the woods as we were in the cabin,” he said. “I wouldn’t even be surprised if the roads up to this part of the mountain haven’t been cleared yet.”  
“Yeah, but you don’t know that,” she pointed out. “What if someone had come by?”   
“No point worrying about it now,” he said with a boyish grin. He looked like a kid who knew he’d done something wrong and gotten away with it.  
She hid her face in her hands, mortified by the thought of someone walking in on what they’d just done.   
He lifted her face with a finger under her chin.  
“Sanem, look at me,” he said, his eyes searching her face.   
“Believe me, I wouldn’t have done that if I thought anyone was nearby,” he said seriously.   
She looked into his eyes for a moment.   
Then she nodded slightly.   
“I’m the only one who gets to see you lose control like that!” he added in a mumbled aside as he let go of her chin.   
Sanem blew out a puff of air.  
She looked down at her own disheveled state and frowned.   
“What was that anyway?” she asked, genuinely curious this time, as she began to straighten her clothes.   
“You tell me,” he shrugged. “You kept looking at me like you were imagining doing all sorts of delicious things to me and I…well, let’s just say there are limits to my self-control, Honey.”   
“I did?” she asked with a frown.   
He nodded and hefted his backpack back in place.  
“Oh yes, you did,” he said, tightening the straps on the backpack.  
“I did warn you,” he added, as if that absolved him of all responsibility.  
“Huh…Well, for your information, that wasn’t what I was thinking,” she said picking up her own pack.   
“I mean not exactly. I was more like…reliving some of the things you’ve done to me,” she explained unthinkingly, smiling to herself.  
Can’s sudden stillness made her look up to find him staring at her with a pained expression.   
“Jesus! You’re going to be the death of me, Sanem,” he mumbled hoarsely, as he adjusted himself in his pants.  
“Me?” she protested. “You’re the one who jumped me, mister!” she pointed out, poking a finger into his hard chest.  
“I wasn’t planning on acting on those phantasies,” she added, pulling on her own backpack.   
Can gulped hard, and she couldn’t help giggling at his stunned silence.  
Then, his eyes narrowed, as if in response to a challenge.  
“Well, now I’m really curious,” he said.   
“What exactly were you thinking…sorry, ‘reliving’?   
She just shook her head and winked mischievously.  
“Not telling,” she said as she turned on her heel and set out on the trail they’d been following.  
But before she’d taken two steps, he was by her side.   
Leaning in, his lips grazed her ear.   
“I bet I could make you tell me,” he whispered softly, gently nibbling on her earlobe.   
Sanem sighed and squirmed, but she didn’t push him away.   
“Mmmm, yeah, I bet you could,” she murmured, automatically turning her face into him. She was having a very hard time resisting this playful side of him.   
“But you won’t,” she said in a firm voice, getting a grip on herself and pushing him away.   
Can groaned, deliberately exaggerating his frustration.  
Then he sighed.  
“Yeah, you’re right,” he said sobering up.   
“We should be getting home and we still have a long way to go.”   
Sanem nodded, ignoring the slight pang of disappointment, and followed his lead.   
“Besides, it’ll be much better if I make you tell me once we’re back home,” he said, blowing her a kiss over his shoulder.

***

The trek through the woods took several hours, and it was well past noon by the time they reached the trailhead where both their cars were parked.   
A jumble of debris had collected around the perimeter of the clearing, caught against the low bushes and trees bordering the grassy opening. Some smaller branches had piled up along the side of the Jeep, but both cars looked otherwise unharmed.   
Can dumped both their backpacks in the Jeep and started checking out her car to make sure it was safe to make the drive back down the mountain.  
Sanem leaned against the side of Jeep, watching him while he worked.   
The car looked completely fine to her, and as long as it started up, she was pretty cool about driving it home. But it was sweet that he was so intent on making sure that she was safe, she decided with smile.   
She rested her head on the side panel of the Jeep, her face turned up to the sun, and closed her eyes for a moment. The sun felt good on her face and the light breeze was like a soothing caress on her heated skin. She listened to the birds chirping and the leaves rustling lightly, and for a moment she felt completely at peace with the world.   
“Everything looks okay,” Can’s voice came from behind her car.  
Sanem opened her eyes as he came around the car and walked towards her.  
“The road might still be blocked in places,” he said, frowning and wiping his hands on his thighs.  
“They’re usually pretty quick to get things reopened after a storm, but there’s nothing but trails up here, so this road will not be a priority.”   
He looked at her expectantly, but she wasn’t entirely sure what she was supposed to get from that statement.   
“We’ll have to go slow down the mountain,” he explained when she kept silent. “There could still be trees or other debris on the road, so just follow my lead, okay?”  
He stopped in front of her, resting a hand on the side of the Jeep next to her head, and leaned in to brush his lips over hers in a soft, lingering kiss.  
“We should get going,” he sighed reluctantly when he pulled back.  
Sanem couldn’t help smiling at the regret in his voice.  
“You keep saying that,” she teased, her fingers trailing up and down the buttons on the blue plaid shirt, he’d pulled on over his t-shirt.   
Can grabbed her hand and brought it to his lip, pressing a kiss to her fingertips.   
“Yeah well, I wish we didn’t have to go in separate cars,” he said with a frown.   
“But we need to get both cars back home, so…” he trailed off, leaning back in to nuzzle her neck with his nose.  
“I’ll be fine driving by myself,” she said rolling her eyes at this overprotective quirk of his.  
“Actually, it’s not you I’m worried about,” he mumbled, his lips trailing softly down the side of her neck, giving her goosebumps.   
“It’s a very, very, long drive home, and I’ll be thinking of you the whole time,” he continued I a husky voice, his lips closing over the pulse at the base of her neck and sucking gently.   
Her eyes fluttered closed and she leaned her head back against the car.  
Her back was pressed flat against the sun-warmed metal of the Jeep. Her hands fisted in his shirt, holding on tight while his lips were making her head spin.   
Sanem had just decided that getting home wasn’t all that urgent, when he stopped making out with her neck and lifted his head to look at her.  
She swallowed hard and stared back at him, wondering what the hold-up was.   
An impish grin was playing around his lips.  
She took in that grin and the teasing glint in his eyes.   
“Right,” she mumbled, scrambling to find the right track.   
Then, her brain seemed to kick in and she narrowed her eyes at him.  
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” she asked poking a finger into his chest.  
“What? What did I do?” he asked with feigned innocence.   
“I was simply getting a good dose of that amazing scent of yours to keep me company on the drive,” he said with a wink, as he stepped back.  
Sanem glared at him, trying to work up a little righteous indignation. But he was just too irresistible with that boyish grin, those dimples popping out and that expression that seemed to say ‘I-know-I’m-being-naughty-but-please-don’t-be-mad’.  
She managed to hang on to her glare for all of five seconds. Then she shook her head with a chuckle.  
“You’re lucky you’re so cute!” she said. Using her grip on the front of his shirt for balance, she rose up to press a quick kiss to his cheek.   
His hands immediately landed on her waist and he pulled her closer.  
“I’d really love to hear more about how cute I am,” he said softly.  
“But you better get behind that wheel now or I won’t be able to let you go.”   
His gaze started to grow heated once again.   
Sanem leaned back to study his face.   
“You know,” she said speculatively, biting her lip. “The backseat of this Jeep of your looks really roomy…”  
She actually felt a jolt go through him as her words registered.   
“Sanem!” he groaned, tightening his grip on her hips.   
He closed his eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath.  
“Look,” he said in a strained voice. “I’d be more than happy to explore the possibilities of my Jeep with you… of both our cars…or any other place you can think of, but I really want to get us both home safely first, okay?”  
The look he gave her however, made it clear that he was fighting a losing battle against his growing desire.   
Sanem sighed playfully, stepping out of his grip.   
“Too bad,” she whispered. Then she shrugged coyly and slipped around him.   
When she reached her car, she winked at him over her shoulder, got in and shut the door.   
Can was staring at her helplessly.   
She blew him an air-kiss and started up her engine, chuckling to herself.  
That should give him something to think about on that very long drive home!  
He shook his head and mock-scowled at her.   
“You started it Mr. Divit!” she mumbled, smirking at her own reflection in the rearview mirror.   
“I’m just playing along.”  
***

Can certainly hadn’t been kidding when he said to take it slow, Sanem thought testily, glowering at the rear end of the Jeep as they inched along. It felt like Can slowed to a near walking pace before every bend in the road, and she was quickly losing her patience as they practically crawled down the mountain.   
His overly cautious descent was definitely taking this protectiveness-thing to new heights, she grumbled. It was ridiculous. She could walk home faster!  
“At this rate it will be dark before we get home,” she muttered irritably, as she tightened her grip on the wheel in frustration.   
The next moment Can’s brake lights flared again, and she had to step hard on her own brakes to avoid rear-ending him.  
“What the…” she mumbled and frowned as she watched him get out of the Jeep.  
He gestured for her to wait in the car and disappeared around the front of the Jeep. Moments later he appeared on the other side of the car, dragging something that looked like half a tree off the road.  
‘So, maybe not so ‘overly cautious’ after all?’ her inner voice whispered.   
Sanem blushed and felt a little foolish as she watched him handle the unwieldy mass of branches.  
He dumped it at the roadside, waved at her and got back behind the wheel.   
This time Sanem made sure to keep her distance, her foot hovering over the brake.   
They continued like that for another thirty minutes. Slowly crawling around each bend in the twisting, turning road, stopping every now and then for Can to clear some obstacle or other off the road.   
The slow pace was almost lulling her to sleep by the time the forest started thinning out.   
She’d just caught her first glimpse of the ocean through the trees when she was startled out of her stupor by the sound of her phone ringing.   
“Welcome back to civilization!” she mumbled, rousing herself. “I guess I’ve got a signal again.”  
She clumsily fished around in her jacket pocket with her left hand, the other hand on the wheel, and both eyes firmly fixed on the Jeep in front of her.   
She finally got the phone untangled and cast a quick glance at the screen.  
“Zoe!” she exclaimed with a happy smile, as she saw her friend’s face flashing on the screen.  
“Hey Zoe!” she called out as she answered the call, putting her friend on speaker.  
“Sanem! Finally!” Zoe’s agitated voice sounded tinny in the confines of the car.  
“Where have you been, girl?” Zoe continued. “I’ve been trying to call you for the past two days! I would have reported you missing if it wasn’t for that guy with the ferries,” she ranted.  
“What guy?” Sanem said with a frown.  
“I don’t know – just some guy. Anyway, it’s not important. I was trying to book my ticket, but he told me that there was a big storm passing and that all online booking was down. And he mentioned that parts of the island was without phone coverage.”  
“Yeah, I haven’t had any signal for the past two days,” Sanem said. “I’m sorry that you were worried, sweetie. I should have used the satellite phone to let you know I was okay.”  
“You have a satellite phone?” Zoe asked momentarily distracted.   
“No, but Can does,” Sanem clarified.   
“Huh! Okay, then next time? – use it!” Zoe said, managing to sound miffed and impressed at the same time.  
“Anyway, are you okay? No storm damage or anything?” she continued without stopping to draw breath.  
“I’m fine. But I actually don’t know if there’s any damage to the cottage. We’re on our way home right now,” she explained. “We’ been stuck up on the mountain for the past two days.”  
“We?” Zoe asked “As in you and Can?”  
“Yes, as in me and Can,” Sanem couldn’t help smiling as she said it.  
“Wait, what do you mean you were stuck on the mountain? Did he take you out camping in a bad storm? Girl, are you okay?” Zoe asked, sounding outraged again.  
Sanem had no doubt that her friend was already gearing up to take on the great Can Divit if she’d been in any kind of danger due to his recklessness.  
“Actually, it’s kind of a long story,” she said.  
She sighed and bit her lip. She was going to have to tell Zoe everything at some point, and now was probably as good a time as any. Besides, it would pass the time while they crawled the rest of the way home, she decided.  
“But before you go off on some rant about Can, let me just say that he did not put me in danger. In fact, he’s the reason I’m okay. I did something stupid and he saved me,” she added quietly.  
“Saved you?” Zoe asked “Saved you how? What did you do? Were you in serious danger? What happened? Oh, wait! Please tell me this is one of those situations where you were both cold and wet, and you had no heat source, so you had to take off all your clothes and use body heat to warm each other up!” she said excitedly.  
Sanem rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help smiling at her friend’s totally inappropriate - albeit surprisingly accurate – ideas.  
“Zoe!” she interrupted, before her friend could get any more graphic in her wishful thinking.  
“Would you like to tell the story? Or would you like to hear what actually happened?” she asked drily.   
“Well, that depends, I guess,” Zoe said.  
“On what?”  
“Does your story have the kind of ending I’m hoping for?” she asked suggestively.  
“Well…” Sanem said with a slow smile. “Knowing you, I’d say that it’s got the kind of ending that you’d probably want to call a national holiday for,” she chuckled.  
The line fell silent for so long Sanem almost thought she’d lost connection again.  
“Noooo!” Zoe’s awestricken voice came back over the line.  
“You didn’t! Really? Seriously? You did? You really, really did? Well, hallelujah” Zoe squealed. “About freaking time too!” she added breathlessly.   
There was a crazy amount of rustling in the background, no doubt from her friend celebrating the news with a happy dance all by herself, Sanem thought with an overbearing chuckle.  
“Sanem this is amazing news!” Zoe gasped, once the rustling stopped. “And you’re right, this is definitely up there with Christmas, New Years, and the 4th of July,” she laughed.  
“So, tell me everything!” Zoe ordered, clearly settling in for a long talk, prepared to drag every tiny detail out of her.  
“Oh wait, is he there with you now? In the car?” she asked, sounding so disappointed that Sanem laughed out loud.  
“No, he’s in his own car. I’m following him right now, but it’s slow going because of all the storm damage. I’m free to talk,” Sanem smiled again at the sound her friend’s excited squeal.  
“So, are you going to shut up and let me tell the story?” she asked.   
“Not another peep from me,” Zoe said quickly. “Now, spill!”  
And Sanem told her everything.   
About her hike, how she got caught in the storm, how she had to seek shelter to wait it out, and how Can had come to her rescue. She told her about how he’d taken her to his cabin and taken care of her. And about everything else that followed, only leaving out some of the more private details.  
For once, Zoe kept quiet while she talked, and once she finished her story there was a long silence.  
“Wow…Sanem!” Zoe finally sighed. “He actually saved you! He came for you in a freaking storm and saved you! That’s soooo romantic,” she gushed.   
Sanem glanced at the screen of her phone in surprise.   
Zoe was not exactly the mushy type, but she sounded like she was almost tearing up.   
“Yeah, it kind of was,” she agreed, feeling a sappy smile bloom on her own face.  
“And so hot!” Zoe added, true to form.  
“I mean…that man! Phew!” she moaned in appreciation. “I can just imagine. You…  
Him… Naked… Fireplace… Cabin in the woods…all cut off from the rest of the world…nothing to do but…”  
“Stop!” Sanem yelled before her friend could go any further down that line of thought.   
“Dear God, stop yourself Zoe!” she half laughed, half scolded.   
“I really don’t need your imagination to expand on what happened, okay? I’m very happy with the reality of things, so please…keep those thoughts to yourself.”  
Zoe just laughed.  
“Okay, okay, I’ll save my ideas for when you need to spice things up down the road,” she said with raucous bark of laughter.  
“But seriously though,” she added. “How was it?”  
Sanem smiled to herself, feeling heat creep up her neck as she contemplated how to answer that.   
“Sanem?” Zoe prodded.  
“Still here,” she said hurriedly.  
“I was just trying to find words to describe it…” she trailed off dreamily.   
“Oooh, that good, huh?” Zoe purred.   
“Zoe!” Sanem said in exasperation.  
“What?” her friend said. “I’m just happy for you. Especially since it’s your first time and all…”   
“First, second, third…really, who’s counting at this point,” Sanem mumbled to herself with a small satisfied smile.   
“What did you say?” Zoe asked.  
Sanem blushed furiously and opted for a quick change of subject.  
“So, did you manage to get a ticket for the ferry?” she asked out loud, ignoring her friend’s question.  
“Yes, I’ll be arriving the day after tomorrow,” Zoe said, immediately distracted.   
“Unless you’d rather I postpone so you two love-birds can have some time alone?”  
“No, no please come, Zoe,” she said, ignoring the brief temptation to opt for more solitude with Can.  
“Can will be off on more trips soon anyway, and I’d love to see you. I miss you,” she added feeling a sudden pang of homesickness. Not so much for the cramped apartment they shared, but for the easy companionship and unwavering support of her friend.  
“I miss you too, girl,” Zoe said in an uncharacteristically serious voice.   
Sanem briefly contemplated telling her friend about the latest development with Denise but decided it could wait till Zoe got there.   
“I’ll pick you up at the ferry the day after tomorrow then,” she said instead.  
They spent a few more minutes chatting and by the time she hung up, they’d left the forest behind and the Jeep was picking up speed ahead of her. 

***

Sanem watched the gap between their cars widening as Can accelerated to a normal speed.   
She let out a sigh of relief and followed suit.   
She hadn’t realized just how tense she’d gotten on the tricky drive down the mountain.   
Not that she’d ever admit to it of course, but she silently acknowledged that she had grossly underestimated the intricacies of navigating a mountain road through a storm-damaged forest. If Can hadn’t insisted on leading them down at that achingly slow pace, she might very well have ended up crashing into a fallen tree or worse.   
Now, as she followed the Jeep along the familiar stretch of ocean road, she felt her shoulders relax, and her hands loosen their death-grip on the wheel.   
She leaned back more comfortably in her seat and rolled down the window to let in the fresh ocean scent.   
The wind blowing in off the water was once again balmy and pleasantly cool, making the icy winds from the storm seem unreal. Sanem marveled at the difference a day could make. Everything looked peaceful and serene. It was as if the storm had never happened.   
She sighed in content, as she took in the vast blue sky and the ocean far below, glittering in the sun.   
Then, her eyes returned to the road, once more focusing on the Jeep up in front, and she smiled, feeling her cheeks heat a little.   
The ocean may look unchanged, but the storm had definitely happened. And it had changed everything for her.   
Her heart skipped a beat at the thought, and her belly was suddenly full of flutters again.   
She knew she was smiling like an idiot, but she simply couldn’t bring herself to care.  
Was it going to be like this from now on? she wondered.  
Was she going to walk around in a happy daze, grinning like a fool at the most inappropriate of times?   
She chuckled and shook her head slightly.   
So what if she was?   
She’d never felt this exquisitely happy before. Her whole body was buzzing with excitement, her head was in the clouds and she was just…well, she felt completely blissed out!  
The Jeep was pulling further ahead now, as if Can was impatient to get home. It occurred to her that she had no idea if he had business to attend to today. She hadn’t thought to ask.   
She had just assumed that they’d be spending the rest of the day together.  
Sanem frowned and bit her lip.   
He hadn’t rushed her at any point during their hike, and he had certainly taken his time on the drive. He hadn’t said anything, but he sure seemed to be in a hurry now…  
She felt a little deflated at the thought of ending this adventure by going back to the cottage alone, going about her day as usual. It seemed so…anti-climactic after everything that had happened.   
‘Don’t be silly, Sanem,’ her inner voice reasoned.  
‘You’re a big girl. Even if he does have things to do, you’ll see him later. It’s not like you can permanently attach yourself to him anyway.’  
“How do you know?” she mumbled petulantly.   
“It might be worth a try…”  
It was just that she wasn’t ready to let the bubble burst, she decided.   
She wanted more time all alone, just the two of them, before sharing him with the rest of the world.   
Wow! Her emotions were obviously running a little high at the moment, she thought, realizing that she’d managed to imagine herself into a slump without even knowing what was behind his sudden burst of speed.   
“Ah, Sanem!” she said, shaking her head at her own reflection in the rear view mirror.  
But maybe that was only natural after the life-altering couple of days they’d just had.  
She smiled, as she once again got lost in reliving their time at the cabin.  
Up ahead Can signaled and then the Jeep disappeared from view, as he turned onto the gravel drive out to the house.   
By the time Sanem had made it down the drive, Can was already out of the Jeep, leaning against the side of it and gesturing for her to pull up next to him.  
As soon as she’d turned off the engine, her door was pulled open.   
Without a word, Can reached past her to release her seat belt.  
“Can!” she protested, with a startled laugh.   
“I can manage to get out of the car by myself, you know?”   
But he didn’t waste time talking. He simply pulled her out of the car and into a tight hug.  
His face burrowed in her hair and she could feel him inhaling deeply, as his arms crushed her body to his.  
“Can?” she asked quietly, slipping her arms around his waist and relaxing into his hug.  
“Are you okay?” she whispered against his neck when he still didn’t talk.  
He lifted his head to look at her.  
“I missed you,” he mumbled, looking at her with hooded eyes.  
She couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her, but her insides were doing a happy dance at his words.  
“That was a very long drive!” he sighed emphatically and leaned his forehead against hers.  
“I was fine,” she reassured him. “You were there, right in front of me the whole time. There was no need to worry.”  
He cupped her face in one hand and kissed her softly.  
“I wasn’t worried,” he mumbled.   
His voice sounded a bit rough she noticed.   
“I just hated not being able to touch you for so long,” he whispered in that husky voice.   
‘God, that voice! So incredibly sexy,’ she thought, feeling her belly clench and a shiver run down her spine.   
“And if I recall correctly,” he mumbled tracing his lips across her cheekbone. “We have unfinished business…”  
Then he kissed her again, this time taking his time, exploring her mouth with slow, thorough licks and bites. He sucked on her bottom lip and his hand pushed up into her hair, as the arm around her waist tightened to pull her body up against his.   
Sanem had the strangest sensation of falling even though his arms held her firmly anchored against his hard body. Her body felt limp and heavy even while she felt herself responding to his growing arousal pressed tight against her belly.  
She moaned into his mouth and clung to him as he set her senses on fire.  
The cars, the house, the windswept grounds all disappeared.  
In her head they were back in the cabin, all alone, with all the time in the world to explore each other. She started pulling at his shirt, needing to feel his skin under her hands.   
He helped her push it off his shoulders, but then he started kissing down her neck, and she lost her focus.   
Can spun them around and pushed her up against the side of the Jeep, his hips holding her in place as he shrugged out of the shirt. Her hands immediately went to the hem of his t-shirt, beginning to push it up. But the feel of his warm, smooth, skin under her hands were a distraction, and she started sliding her hands up his body, under the t-shirt, delighting in his shivers and the small sounds of encouragement he was making.   
They were completely lost in each other, oblivious to the cries of the seagulls down on the beach, or the slight chill of the wind in their hair and on their heated skin.   
The shrill noise of a phone ringing was an irrelevant, foreign sound and it took a while before it registered with either of them.   
“Leave it,” he mumbled against her lips.  
“Not mine,” she whispered into his mouth.  
His warm hands found their way under her sweater and t-shirt and travelled up her body, caressing, squeezing, cupping…  
The phone kept ringing.   
Can swore under his breath and fished the phone out of his back pocket, one hand still drawing circles on her ribs, tracing the curve of her breast.  
“It’s Jake,” he muttered with a frown.  
Sanem sighed and leaned her head back against the Jeep.   
“Better answer,” she rasped, out of breath.  
“Jake, if it’s not an emergency, I’ll call you back,” Can barked into the phone.  
Then he frowned at whatever Jake was saying.  
“What, now?” he said, turned his head to look towards the driveway.  
“Shit!” he muttered, just as a black SUV came around the bend heading straight for them.  
“She’s here,” he said into the phone. Then he disconnected without another word.  
The SUV came to a stop behind Sanem’s car.  
The door opened and Denise stepped out, pausing to take in the two of them frozen in place, against the side of the Jeep.   
“I guess you two weren’t expecting company,” she said icily.


	33. Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Can to confront Denise...and more players are announced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter sucks! Sometimes a chapter just won't come together as you want it to and this was one of those for me. Had to rewrite it so many times I'm not even sure it's coherent anymore. But I'm moving on! so there... ;-)

“I guess you two weren’t expecting company.”   
The words were like pouring gasoline on a fire.   
The flash of anger he felt was white-hot and instantaneous. The intensity of it took him completely by surprise and Can had to fight hard to tamp down the inner beast that was chafing at the bit to tear into Denise.   
Logically, he knew that he was overreacting.   
But to actually see Denise? To hear that smoky voice of hers? It grated on his nerves and it was an unwelcome reminder of the things that the woman had said about Sanem. Of how she’d made Sanem feel.   
A deep-seated need to protect Sanem, to shield her from anything that could cause her pain, was bringing out an almost primal rage that he struggled to control.   
For a minute it seemed like he was seeing everything through a red haze. He’d never thought of himself as being violent or aggressive by nature, but he suddenly found himself desperately wanting to hit something.  
He glared at Denise in silence, his jaw muscles working so hard it was making his teeth ache.   
He didn’t trust himself to answer her snide remark.   
So, with an effort, he reined in the impulse to lash out, and instead he turned his attention back to Sanem.   
Belatedly, he realized that he still had her pinned against the Jeep, his body mostly obscuring hers from Denise’ view.   
Sanem was fidgeting, looking flustered and agitated, he noticed with alarm.  
It took him a moment to understand that her wriggling was an attempt to get him to remove the hand that was still resting against the warm skin of her stomach. He swore quietly and slipped his hand out from under her shirt, positioning himself to cover her while she adjusted her clothes.   
The blue plaid shirt that he’d worn on top of his t-shirt lay crumbled on the ground where he’d dropped it, but he didn’t bother picking it up. Somehow, he felt a need for complete freedom of movement for the confrontation he knew was coming.   
Sanem gave him a brief nod, signaling that she was ready. He reached up a hand and gently cupped her cheek for a second, the gesture as much an attempt to calm himself, as it was to soothe her.   
Then, he took a deep breath and turned around to face Denise.   
“What are you doing here, Denise?” he asked bluntly not even trying to be polite. He folded his arms across his chest, legs firmly planted in a wide stance.   
“What do you want?”  
He could feel Sanem move out from behind him to stand at his side. He had to fight the urge to push her back behind him, to shield her from whatever Denise was going to throw at them, but he didn’t want to appear to patronize her in front of Denise.   
‘As if Sanem would let you get away with it!’ his inner voice snorted.   
Yeah, there was no way she was going to stand by meekly while he confronted Denise, he realized with a sigh.  
He glanced at her from out of the corner of his eye to check that she was okay.   
Her face still looked a little flushed and her eyes were downcast. She looked tense and uncomfortable, he noticed, feeling his stomach clench in response.  
But then, she seemed to pull on some inner reserve. She raised her head, her back straightened and her eyes snapped open. He couldn’t see the look in her eyes, but he was pretty sure he wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that look.   
He chuckled silently.  
‘That’s my girl!’ he thought, biting his cheek not to smile openly at her feistiness.  
The sound of a car door slamming shut had his head snapping around and he refocused his attention on their unwanted visitor.  
“We need to talk, Can,” Denise said, clutching a sleek, red-lacquered, briefcase-type purse under her arm. As usual, she was dressed like she was heading for a lunch-meeting on Manhattan, he noted absently.   
Objectively, he knew that she looked good. The tailored, cream-colored pants suit hugged her body in all the right places, and the lowcut top underneath was made from some sort of shimmering, pearly grey material that looked delicate and very expensive, with a borderline lingerie-style that emphasized her curvy figure. Her choice of shoes was as impractical as the clothes, he noticed, taking in the grey, patent stiletto pumps. The red curls had been tamed into more conservative waves, and her make-up was tasteful and understated. The overall effect was both professional and extremely feminine, striking that trademark balance of hers somewhere between powerful businesswoman and sex-kitten.   
But everything about her screamed city and was so blatantly wrong for the island that, to him, she just managed to look slightly ridiculous.   
She approached them with a deliberate, slow, stroll.   
Can watched with a strangely detached, almost clinical curiosity.   
He knew her well enough to recognize her display for what it was. This was ‘The Walk’ that she would use to get the attention of whomever she was out to impress, whether in boardrooms, fancy restaurants or - apparently - on a windblown, rocky island. She always made a point of being the last to arrive, so she could make the most of her entrance, and The Walk was putting her physical assets on display to their full advantage.   
Can had never personally been particularly receptive to her charms, and now, he watched with a disinterested clarity that made the rehearsed move seem almost comical.  
He mentally shook his head at her obvious attempt at manipulation and prepared for the confrontation.  
“We don’t have anything to talk about Denise,” he said calmly. “So, if you don’t mind, Sanem and I would like to be alone. We’ve had a long hike this morning and a difficult drive down the mountain, and we’re both tired.”   
He looked at her steadily, hoping that for once she’d take the hint and just leave. But he knew that was wishful thinking. Denise had never been one to avoid a fight. And he could tell by the way her chin tilted up a notch, and by the steely flare in her eyes, that she was gearing up for one.   
Part of him welcomed it, needing to let out the pent-up anger he’d been nursing ever since Sanem told him what she’d overheard.   
But part of him worried about losing control.   
Not so much out of concern for Denise. She had it coming.   
But he didn’t want Sanem to see him like that.   
“Oh, come on Can,” Denise said lightly, her tone in sharp contrast to the tension crackling between them.   
“Look, I’m sorry I intruded on such an…intimate moment, okay?” she smiled wryly. “It’s just that I was worried. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for days, but it seems your phone’s been out? So, I decided to come out and see you in person.” She shrugged and looked between the two of them as if challenging them to disagree with her reasoning.  
“You needn’t have bothered,” he said, aware that his voice was strained with the effort to hold back from roaring at her.   
Denise just sighed and rolled her eyes at his tone.   
“Don’t be so childish, Can,” she said.  
He heard Sanem suck in a sharp breath of air beside him, and his whole body tensed up.   
Denise heard it too it seemed because her eyes zeroed in on Sanem.   
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m being rude. Hello Sanem,” she said with a sugary sweet smile. “It’s nice to see you again.”   
She openly looked Sanem over, taking in her wrinkled, mud-splattered windbreaker and the streaks of dirt on her jeans, her windblown hair and make-up free face. The fresh-off-the-mountain-look presented a stark contrast to Denise’s own immaculately put-together appearance.   
The inspection seemed to confirm something for Denise, and her smile grew more genuine, if no more pleasant.   
“Hello Denise,” Sanem said coolly, seemingly unfazed by the other woman’s scrutiny.  
Then she turned to Can, deliberately ignoring the redhead.  
“Can, if you two need to talk, I’ll just go and get cleaned up.”   
He was just about to protest when she put a hand on his chest and leaned into him slightly, a teasing smile playing around her lips.   
“I’ve been looking forward to a nice, long shower, you know,” she mumbled with a wink. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and looked up at him through her lashes.   
“Come find me when you’re done?” she whispered, so softly it couldn’t possibly have reached Denise’s ears.   
Not that he cared if it had.  
Can’s mouth went completely dry, and for a second he worried that he might pass out from all the blood rushing south from his head. He stifled a groan as images of Sanem in the shower flashed before his eyes.   
He stared at her, torn between an overwhelming desire to grab her, throw her over his shoulder and carry her to the nearest bathroom himself, and the need to dispatch his editor, whose presence was getting less and less relevant by the second.   
Sanem giggled softly at his obvious struggle.  
Then, she lifted up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.   
“You’ll have to excuse me, Denise,” she said without turning to look at the other woman. “We’ve been roughing it for a few days and after our exertions in the woods today, I really need a shower.”   
She winked at Can again.   
Then, she gave his editor a perfunctory nod, turned on her heel and calmly walked away. 

***  
Can stared after her, trying to remember why he was letting her walk away.  
Was it his imagination or did her hips sway a little more sensually than usual? Did her jeans always hug her ass so perfectly?   
“Can?”   
He was lost in hazy thoughts of steamy bathrooms and smooth, wet skin under his hands. Silky, dark hair dripping water down a slender back. The slide of hands over slick, soapy skin. Soft curves pressed against hard muscle…   
He hummed softly to himself as the images played out in his mind.  
“Can?” Denise’s voice tore through the fog of desire and longing.  
“What?” he snapped, turning around to face her.   
Irrationally, he felt a little flustered at being caught in the middle of a wet, hot daydream, but then he shrugged it off. There was no way Denise could know where his mind had just been.   
Except, his editor was no idiot, and it was clear from her sullen look that she did in fact have a pretty good idea - or at least she suspected.   
A strange expression flittered over her face. He couldn’t quite catch it, but for a second he thought she’d looked…hurt? Vulnerable?  
But he quickly dismissed the thought. Denise might be annoyed and angry that he wasn’t playing along with her plans. She might resent the fact that someone else mattered more to him than his work and their working relationship. But Denise didn’t do vulnerable, and they’d never had any kind of romantic connection, so there was no reason for her to be upset.  
“Can, are you listening to me?” she asked sharply, all signs of vulnerability gone.   
“Actually, no,” he said without thinking, still trying to decipher the look he’d seen on her face.  
Then he pulled himself together and focused his attention on her, feeling the anger bubbling to the surface once again.  
“Look, Denise,” he said with a frown. “I told you this is a bad time and I meant it. You should leave. I agree, we do need to talk. I have things that I need to say to you. But right now, I’m tired and angry and I’m afraid that nothing good can come from us talking.”  
She gave him a speculatively look, clearly trying to work out where this new coldness was coming from.   
“Can, you know me,” she said placatingly. “You know I don’t give up when I’m on to something good. And this is really good” she said with a disarming half-smile.   
He gritted his teeth in frustration, his mind whirling with questions.  
How many times was he going to have to tell her no? Why wouldn’t she just accept his answer and move on?  
Denise was studying him, a thoughtful expression on her face. Then, she dropped the happy-act and became all business again.  
“Look Can, I talked to the network about your reservations,” she said.   
“Reservations?” he scoffed. “It was a little more than ‘reservations’, Denise. I turned them down, remember?”  
“They were willing to amend the deal to accommodate you,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “I just wanted to bring you the renewed offer and some more background material on the proposal. I really think you should look it over before making a final decision,” she hurried on, reaching into that candy apple-red briefcase and pulling out a stack of papers. She thrust the papers at him with an expectant look.   
Can stared at her in disbelief, briefly wondering if he was actually speaking English, since she clearly didn’t seem to understand what he was saying.  
“Trust me Can. You’ll want to see this,” she added, a very sincere look on her face.   
“Trust you?” he said incredulously.  
“Trust you? When you keep maneuvering behind my back, doing the exact opposite of what I ask? Not to mention your attitude towards Sanem? You want me to trust you? I don’t think so, Denise!” he barked out, no longer able to hold back.   
“We have been friends and work-friends for a long time, Denise,” he continued. “And we’ve both benefited from our relationship. But that’s it. We’ve never interfered with each other’s personal life, and we’ve always respected each other’s boundaries. I don’t know why you suddenly think that you get to decide what’s best for me or who’s best for me, but I can tell you right now that if you don’t stop - you and I are done! For good!” He glared at her, feeling like steam might actually start coming out of his ears any moment now.  
Denise looked taken aback, the stack of documents hovering in the air between them, as she froze in the act of holding them out to him.   
“I-I’m not sure what you mean, Can,” she said, looking more flustered than he’d ever seen her before.  
“I’m only doing this because I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for you and…as for Sanem. I’m not sure what attitude you’re talking about. I confess, I’m a little surprised to see you with someone like her…I’m not really seeing the attraction, but I can assure you I don’t have any kind of ‘attitude’ where she’s concerned.” Denise looked shaken, but she was rapidly regaining her composure.  
“Oh, come on, Denise,” he snapped. “This is a small island. People talk. You should think about that the next time you talk about other people’s relationships in public.”   
A series of rapid emotions flashed over her face at his words.   
Confusion. Realization. And…was that fear?   
No, Denise didn’t do fear any more than she did vulnerability. She was probably just annoyed that she got caught.   
“Look Can, I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I have no issue with Sanem. That doesn’t concern me. All I wanted was to be certain you didn’t throw away something this good over some…” she didn’t finish the sentence and Can was glad she didn’t. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to control himself much longer is she so much as hinted at what he thought she was going to say.   
Her shoulders suddenly slumped and she looked a little lost.   
“I just don’t get it, Can,” she said quietly.   
“This is not like you. This place…these people…the life you live here,” she waved her hand in an all-encompassing gesture.   
“It’s not you, Can,” she implored.   
“This is not the man I know. The World-traveler. The Adventurer. The man, who has an endless curiosity about people, places, customs…. The man, who never backs away from a challenge. The man, who’ll go to the ends of the world to help those in need, or expose injustice and corruption.” She shook her head in disbelief.   
“This life, you’re building here? It’s too small for you, Can.” She looked at him almost pleadingly.   
“It’s too mundane. Too…boring. I’m…I’m really worried about you.” She heaved a big sigh, the documents in her hand all but forgotten.  
Can studied her for a moment, trying to decide if she was playing another part or if she was being sincere.   
“I just don’t get it, Can,” she repeated in a small voice.  
All her usual mannerisms were gone for the moment. Stripped away to reveal raw, unfiltered emotion.   
She was once more the girl he knew back in college. The girl who’d been carefree and funny, but who’d learned to play tough and manipulate in order to survive and be the best in a world, where women were usually considered playthings or decoration. The girl he’d admired for her strength and determination.   
The girl she’d been before she bought into her own façade and her determination turned to ruthlessness…  
“No, I can see that you don’t, Denise,” he said seriously.  
“But I’m not going to explain myself or defend my choices to you. I shouldn’t have to. But more importantly, I don’t want to.”   
He looked at her pointedly.   
“So let me just make it clear one more time. I’m not interested in this offer. I’m staying here, and that’s final. And if you want to salvage what’s left of our friendship, I suggest you stop harassing me…and Sanem…and go back to New York.”  
He didn’t wait for her answer. He simply turned on his heel and walked into the house, shutting the door firmly behind him, suddenly feeling bone-tired.

***

Can hadn’t forgotten about Sanem’s invitation to come to her once he’d dealt with Denise. He ached to run to her and burry himself in her warmth and forget all about his editor’s mysterious machinations.   
But he was too upset and confused right now.   
He was just so angry with Denise…  
For the things she’d said about Sanem.  
For treating him like he was her own personal meal ticket, or a pet for hire that she could rent out to the highest bidder without him having a say in the matter.   
When did that happen? he wondered broodingly.   
He’d always been his own man. She’d never tried to control him like this before.   
But he was also strangely sad and confused to see a long-term friendship crumble before his eyes, without any kind of reasonable explanation.   
He leaned back against the front door and rubbed both hands over his face.   
No, before he went to Sanem, he definitely needed to calm down a little and try to make sense of all this, he decided.   
A shower, he thought.  
A shower would help clear his head and clean off this weird feeling of having been in battle.   
He started stripping off his clothes, dropping them as he went, heading straight for the bathroom.  
He turned on the shower, only waiting for the water to reach lukewarm before stepping under the spray. He closed his eyes, letting the water pound the top of his head, cooling his overheated body and mind.   
As the water gradually heated up, he could feel his muscles starting to relax. The water hammering down on his head drowned out all other sound, cushioning him in his own little world of swirling steam and heat. Slowly he let go of the tight control he’d been keeping on his emotions, feeling his mind calm as he grew more relaxed.   
He washed his hair on autopilot. Soaped up and rinsed off his body mechanically. And then he just stood under the spray for a long time, letting the warm water soothe his body, while his mind slowly worked through the tangles of what had just happened.   
There was no question in his mind that the professional relationship he’d had with Denise for years was over. There was no way he’d be able to trust her enough to work with her again. But it didn’t really matter much since he’d already made his decision to stay here and try a different kind of life. He wouldn’t need her help getting new jobs or her company’s pull to smooth difficult situations on assignments.   
As for whatever personal friendship had existed between him and Denise, it was definitely being tested at the moment. It wasn’t just that he was upset with her for the things she’d said about Sanem or their relationship – although the thought of that still made him burn with anger. And it wasn’t just that he was annoyed with her persistence either. That was pretty much Denise’s MO so it shouldn’t really be a surprise, even though he wasn’t used to her going all huntress on him. But his gut kept telling him that there was more to this whole situation. And he had a feeling that whenever he got to the bottom of it – and he would – he wasn’t going to like it much.  
Can sighed and turned his face into the spray.   
His mind kept going back to the moment when he’d confronted Denise with the fact that her phone conversation had been overheard.   
Something about her reaction kept teasing him.   
The look on her face had been more than just the guilt of someone caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar. There had been more than just the fear of a confrontation. But he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.  
Eventually, he let it go, deciding he’d spent too much time and energy on Denise’s drama already.   
He wanted to see Sanem and focus on getting back to the happy place they’d been in for the past two days.  
The thought alone was like the sun piercing through a cloud cover.   
He shook off his bad mood and turned off the water. Grabbing a towel off the rack, he hastily patted himself dry.   
His reflection in the foggy mirror looked shaggy and wild, he noticed, trying to remember the last time he’d had a haircut. Or shaved.   
It had been a while.   
But he kind of liked this new look, he decided.  
‘And Sanem seems to like it too…’ the voice in the back of his head pointed out smugly.   
He smiled and shrugged, as he recalled the feeling of her fingers tangling in his hair, her nails dragging, scratching through his beard.   
A pleasurable shiver ran through him.   
Okay, so maybe that had something to do with it too. But so what if he wanted to please her?   
He quickly tied the still damp lengths of hair back in a sloppy half-bun and gave his beard a hasty comb-through. Then he went in search of clothes.  
He was just pulling a black, long-sleeved t-shirt over his head when he heard the muffled sound of his phone ringing.   
In his rush to wash off the encounter with Denise he hadn’t really taken the time to grab his stuff out of the Jeep, and he wasn’t sure where his phone was. But the ringing was definitely coming from inside the house.   
He followed the muted sounds until he reached his crumbled up jeans, where he’d dropped them on the hallway floor.   
He retrieved the phone from the back pocket and checked to see who the caller was, groaning out loud when Denise’s name flashed on the screen.  
“Will you just give it a rest,” he mumbled, frowning at the phone.  
He briefly considered not picking up, but he knew she’d just keep calling. Besides, he still felt the urge to shut her down hard, once and for all.  
His finger hovered over the screen for a moment. Then he accepted the call.  
“What?” he snapped.  
“Hello to you too,” Denise’s said, sounding miffed at his tone.   
The nerve of the woman!  
Can ground his teeth but decided to wait her out.  
“Can, I need your help,” she said when he stayed silent.  
He was just about to tell her to get lost, but she continued without waiting for an answer.  
“I must have run over something, maybe some debris form the storm…I don’t know. But I’ve got a flat tire and I’m about half way back to town. Could you come and pick me up?”   
He wondered briefly if this was some sort of ploy on her part. Playing on his chivalry to get him to forget their disagreement or something like that.  
“Can?” she pleaded. “I’m not playing games,” she said as if she’d read his mind.   
“I really do have a flat, and I can’t walk back to town from here.”  
An image of Denise in those ridiculous stilettos popped into his head, and he had to agree. There was no way she’d be able to hike back to town in those shoes.   
He ran a hand over his face and sighed.  
He really, really didn’t want to see her right now.   
And frankly, he didn’t much feel like helping her out either. But he couldn’t just leave her there…  
“Just stay by the car, Denise,” he said grudgingly.   
“Thanks Can,” she said, sounding relieved.   
Can ended the call and stared out the window for a second, trying to decide what to do.  
Then, he quickly made another call.  
“Jake?” he said as his friend picked up.  
“I need another favor,” he said. 

***

It took five minutes of haggling to agree on the ‘price’ of this latest favor, but finally Jake accepted. Can disconnected with a sigh of equal parts relief and exasperation. Sometimes Jake lived up to his pirate-image a little too well! The price he’d demanded for rescuing Denise was pretty steep - even by his standards.   
But it was so worth it, he decided, as he slid the phone into the back-pocket of his black jeans.   
Things between him and Denise would be tense from here on out. He knew that. But he’d meant what he said to her. If she couldn’t stay out of his private affairs, accept his choices and be happy for him no matter what he decided to do with his life, then he was prepared to cut all contact with her.   
He had enough people wanting to rule his life.   
Then he chuckled softly.   
Jake didn’t know it yet, but he was going to earn every bit of his exorbitant price this time.  
Denise was no picnic on a good day, and being stranded in the middle of nowhere, with a flat tire, after the confrontation they’d just had? She was going to be a handful, he thought, a wicked smile spreading on his face.  
He almost felt sorry for his friend.   
But then he shook his head and grinned.   
Jake would handle it. He wouldn’t like it, but he would handle it.   
And he kind of had it coming, Can decided, after all that teasing and pretend-interest in Sanem. It was only fair that Can got to sneak in one little punch.  
But right now, he didn’t want to spend one more minute worrying about Jake, Denise or anyone else making demands of him.   
He rolled his shoulders to ease the tension that had immediately started creeping back, the minute Denise’s name had flashed on his phone screen.   
He exhaled slowly, already starting to feel lighter.   
He was ready.  
He was going to go and find Sanem and hopefully get back to where they’d left off before they were interrupted.   
The thought of her instantly put a goofy smile on his face as something warm spread in his chest. An unfamiliar feeling settled in his stomach. He couldn’t quite put it onto words, but somehow the thought of her made him feel oddly at peace and excited at the same time.   
And so very, very, happy.   
“You’re so screwed, Divit,” he mumbled to himself as his smiled widened into a big grin.   
‘So screwed!’ his inner voice agreed with an exaggerated eye-roll.   
He was in so deep with her, there was just no way out.   
He should be scared out of his mind.   
But he wasn’t.   
Because he didn’t want out.   
He wanted to be exactly where he was.   
With her.   
Humming happily to himself, he quickly picked up the dirty clothes he’d dropped in a line leading from the bathroom to the front door and dropped it all in the hamper.   
Then, he remembered that in her rush to get away from Denise, Sanem had left her backpack behind.   
He went back outside and jogged over to the Jeep to collect both their backpacks from the back seat. But as he opened the back door to reach for the packs, something caught his eyes. White pages fluttered on the seat next to the two backpacks, stirred up by the wind coming in the open door. He froze momentarily.   
“What the hell...?” he mumbled, frowning at the pile of paper.  
Then it dawned on him what he was looking at.   
Can felt his jaw snap shut and his teeth clench in a renewed burst of anger.   
Denise must have left the revised offer behind!   
He’d been so done with her - and frankly a little worried what he might do if he hadn’t gotten away from her - that he hadn’t waited to see her off. He’d left her standing by the cars with that stack of papers clutched in one hand, expecting her to take her offer and leave.   
But it seemed that once again, she hadn’t accepted his ‘no’.   
Instead she’d left the documents behind for him to read.   
Can felt like growling in frustration.  
Was there just no end to this?   
Why did she refuse to accept his answer?  
The woman was driving him crazy!  
But she could wait till eternity for all he cared. He’d given his answer and it wasn’t going to change.   
He slammed the door to the Jeep, just a little too hard, making the windows rattle.   
With the two backpacks in one hand and the offending stack of papers clutched in the other, he stalked back inside. He dropped the papers in a messy pile on the desk in his office and left his backpack sitting unopened in his bedroom.  
Then, he shouldered Sanem’s small pack and slammed the door behind him.

***  
Can covered the distance between his house and the cottage in record time. He moved with a fierce determination, feeling like he just couldn’t get to her fast enough.   
Sanem must have spotted him coming, because she had the door open before he even reached the front porch.   
He took her in hungrily, running his eyes all over her body. She was barefoot and dressed casually in black leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. Her hair had been left down after her shower, and it fell in soft waves around her face and spilled over her shoulders.   
She looked soft, warm and absolutely edible, he thought.   
When he reached the porch, his eyes immediately went to hers, trying to gauge her mood.   
She looked a little wary, he thought with a pang.  
But then she smiled.   
And her smile was exactly what he needed, he realized, as he felt all tension drain out of his body.   
It felt like an iron-band had been tied too tight around his chest, but now it snapped, letting him breathe freely again.   
He didn’t pause but crossed the porch in two large strides. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she kept smiling as he crowded her up against the outer wall, bringing his body flush against hers. His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her into a tight hug as he buried his nose in her newly washed, still damp hair and breathed in deeply.   
Her scent was like a magic potion, filling his senses, instantly soothing and uplifting.   
It was everything that he could ever need. It was his home and his adventure, safe and exhilarating and just so damn good…  
He took another deep breath, slowly relaxing against her.  
Her arms crept up around his neck, her fingers tangling lightly in his hair.   
He lifted his head to look at her.   
Then, he groaned and leaned down to kiss her.  
But she pouted playfully and dropped a hand to his chest, her fingers slowly tracing patterns over his heart.   
“You missed our shower,” she whispered.   
“I know, baby, and believe me, I’m sorry,” he growled against her lips. She sighed, and the hand on his chest flattened as she leaned in, pressing her lips more fully to his, sucking his bottom lip into her mouth briefly, before letting it go with a soft pop.  
He pulled back a little and looked at her through hooded eyes.  
“We could always take another?” he suggested with a wink, a smile pulling at his lips.  
“Nooo, that would be too wasteful,” she said archly, sliding out of his arms to go back inside. But on the threshold, she stopped and looked back over her shoulder with a cheeky smile.   
“Too bad though. I could have used your help washing some of those hard-to-reach places, you know? But maybe next time…” she shrugged casually and headed inside.   
Can stared after her dazedly, not entirely sure if he had in fact just growled out loud or if it was just the harsh sound of his suddenly ragged breathing.  
Then, he hurried after her, slamming the door behind him.  
“So? Is she gone?” Sanem’s voice drifted back to him from the kitchen, followed by loud clanging noises.   
He followed the sounds, trying to decide how to tell her about the talk he’d had with Denise.   
But as he entered the kitchen, all thoughts of Denise flew out of his head as his eyes zeroed in on her.   
She was bent over, pulling bowls and measuring cups out of one of the lower cabinets. The movement had caused her sweatshirt to ride up, revealing the tight, black leggings that molded her body so superbly, showcasing the peach-shaped perfection of her ass.  
Can devoured her with his eye. His hands were itching to grab her, to smooth over those curves. He wanted to strip that fabric off and get to the soft skin underneath. To lick, and kiss and bite those supple cheeks, and… with an effort he snapped out of it and discreetly adjusted himself.  
‘Dammit, Divit! Could you maybe try to keep your inner animal on a leash for just five minutes?’ he thought, giving himself a mental slap.   
He swallowed hard and squeezed his eyes shut, counting slowly to ten.   
Sanem was mumbling to herself, half her upper body disappearing into the cupboard as she rummaged around for something.   
There was a muffled ‘Aha!’ and then her head popped back out.   
She stood up and turned around to face him, triumphantly raising a grater in the air.   
“Found it!” she announced  
“I can see that,” he said hiding a smile, as he leaned on the counter, praying that his face didn’t reveal where his mind had been just seconds ago.   
He cleared his throat and focused on the pile of things she’d collected.  
“And what exactly are you going to do with it?” he asked politely, as she got busy pulling ingredients out of cupboards.   
“Making dinner, of course,” she said, rolling her eyes theatrically at him.   
“You’re not the only one who can cook, mister,” she said, pointing a whisk at him.   
He just grinned, momentarily lost in how cute she looked, and how badly he wanted to kiss her.   
“But you didn’t answer my question,” she added, as she returned to her bowls and cutting board.  
It took him a second to mentally rewind to what she’d asked.  
“Oh, right. Denise. Yeah, she’s gone. Hopefully for good this time,” he said.   
“Although I’m not holding my breath,” he mumble in an aside.  
“What was that?” she asked, casting a questioning glance over her shoulder.  
“Nothing,” he shrugged. “It’s just that I really thought I’d gotten through to her this time, but then she goes and leaves a new contract for me to look over,” he frowned in irritation.   
Sanem stopped was she was doing and turned to give him a thoughtful look.   
“I’m not going to read it, of course,” he sighed and ran a hand over his face.   
“It’s just really annoying that she doesn’t seem to hear what I’m saying. I mean, how hard is it to understand a ‘no’, and an ‘I’m not interested’?” he ranted, starting to get a little worked up again.  
Sanem had completely abandoned her chopping or whatever she was doing and came around to his side of the counter.  
She didn’t speak, but simply walked right up to him. She stepped in between his legs and slid both arms around his neck. His arms automatically slipped around her waist, in a loose embrace.   
She leaned back a little and studied his face seriously for a moment.  
“Can, I’m sorry that you have to deal with this, but…” she bit her lip and looked away,   
“But what?” he asked softly, tugging at her chin to get her to look at him again.   
“Well,” she said hesitantly. “I get that she annoys you - believe me she annoys me too, and I barely know her!” She rolled her eyes, and he had to fight a smile at how adorable she looked.  
“But what I don’t get is…why do you let her get to you so much?” she asked.  
“I mean, she doesn’t own you. She can’t actually force you to take the job. So even if she insists on trying to persuade you, you can just ignore her. Eventually she’ll have to give up. Why spend any more energy on trying to make her understand? She clearly doesn’t want to.”   
Sanem looked at him searchingly.   
“Unless…she has some reason to think she can persuade you?” she asked quietly.   
“No!” he said emphatically.   
“No, she absolutely does not have any kind of hold on me, Sanem. I’m not in her debt, I haven’t made her any promises, there’s no reason for her to think she can change my mind. In fact, there’s every reason for her to give up, which is what makes this so weird,” he finished, frowning in confusion.  
Sanem was about to say something but the buzzing of his phone interrupted her.   
Can reached into his back-pocket and retrieved the phone, but kept his other arm firmly around her, not ready to give up the physical contact.  
“It’s Jake,” he mumbled as he glanced at the screen.   
“You should talk to him,” she said softly, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. Then, she stepped out of his embrace, walked back around the counter and resumed her chopping, giving him space to talk to his friend.  
He drifted slowly towards the breakfast nook as he answered the call.  
“Jake,” he said. “Is it done?”   
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sanem’s head lifting at his words, the knife slowing as she listened intently.  
“Yeah, the flat was no problem. I’ve just sent her on her way,” Jake said.   
“But there’s something you should know Can,” he continued, sounding uncharacteristically serious.  
“What? Did she give you any trouble? Because you don’t have to cuddle her for my sake, you know,” he said, wincing slightly at his own petty words.   
“No, no, it’s not that,” Jake said. “I mean, she’s a handful, and I won’t be looking for her company again any time soon,” he snorted.   
“But that’s not why I called. You didn’t tell her that you and I friends, did you?”  
Can frowned at Jake’s question.  
“No, actually I never told her that I was sending someone else. I was pretty pissed off to be honest,” he said, rubbing his temple.  
“Yeah, I figured,” Jake said. “When I first got there, she got all huffy about you sending some ‘mechanic’ rather than just picking her up yourself. But then she just kind of ignored me.” He chuckled.  
“But like I said, that’s not why I’m calling.”  
Can listened in silence, waiting for his friend to explain.   
“The thing is, Can,” Jake said hesitantly.   
“While I was busy working on her tire, she was making a phone call. And I think she was calling the same person she talked to when we overheard her back in the coffee shop a few days ago. You know, when she said those things about…Sanem?” he added reluctantly.  
“Yeah, Sanem told me,” Can growled, feeling the anger stirring again.  
“Well, anyway, she was on the phone while I was working, and she sounded pissed! I mean, I don’t know what you did to her, man, but I can tell you, she’s not happy with you right now! And this other person seemed to be giving her a hard time over not getting ‘results’…whatever that means.” Jake sounded a bit confused.   
“I’m not really sure about that part. I mean, I could only hear her side of the conversation, but she seemed to be doing a lot of explaining.”   
“Go on,” Can said through clenched teeth.  
“Well, she was telling this person all about you and Sanem, and how you seemed to have gotten closer and that she wasn’t sure it was going to be so easy to break you up.” Jake’s voice sounded decidedly uncomfortable now.   
Can closed his eyes and took a deep breath.   
‘What game are you playing, Denise?’ he thought to himself, trying to push back the anger that was threatening to take over all of his mental capacity.   
“Did she say anything else?” he asked harshly.  
“Yeah, it sounded like they were making plans for this other person to come to the island too,” Jake said in a careful voice.   
“Can,” he added quickly. “I think you need to watch out for this woman. She clearly doesn’t have your best interest at heart and…”   
There was a brief silence.   
“Don’t let her mess up things with Sanem,” he said seriously. “She’s the best thing that’s happened to you in a very long time. Don’t let this woman get between you.”  
Can squeezed his eyes shut as a sharp, searing pain lashed through him at the mere thought.  
“Don’t worry,” he growled.  
“I don’t intend to let her anywhere near Sanem!”   
He leaned his head against the window, letting the cool glass sooth his burning temper.  
“Believe me, I know exactly how lucky I am to have found her. I’m not letting Denise or anyone else jeopardize that!”   
“Good. I’ll be on the look-out for anyone new hanging out with Denise. I’m kind curious about this phone-buddy of hers. Seems whoever it is has her tying herself in knots and I doubt that happens often,” Jake said with cynical laugh.  
“You’d be right about that,” Can agreed.  
“Let me know if you see anyone with her, okay?” he added.   
“And Jake? Thanks again, man. I owe you one.”  
“Actually, you owe me quite a few my friend,” Jake chuckled. “But in this case, I’m starting to think I’ll cancel that favor you owe me. Say hi to Sanem for me,” he said and then he was gone. 

***  
Can dropped the phone on the kitchen table on top of a pile of Sanem’s research.  
He hooked his hands around the back of his neck and stared out the window, frowning thoughtfully.  
The late afternoon sun was glinting cheerfully off the waves in the bay below, and the wildflowers that dotted the rough grassy area in front of the cottage swayed in the light breeze. He could hear birds chirping, and in the distance, the woosh of waves crashing on shore. But the serene beauty of the surroundings failed to work its magic on him today.   
He turned away from the window and leaned heavily against the wall, eyes fixed unseeingly at the floor, while he tried to digest what Jake had just told him.   
He was still deep in thought when a dainty pair of lightly tanned feet with sea-shell pink nail-polish padded into his line of vision. The feet stopped right in front of his big, booted ones.  
He absently studied the contrast between them.   
Then, he slowly lifted his eyes from those graceful feet, up past a pair of slender ankles. Next came shapely legs encased in black leggings. His gaze travelled further up, taking in toned thighs, partially covered by the oversized sweatshirt. As his eyes continued upwards, his mind easily conjured up the curves hidden beneath the loose material as he went. Finally, he looked at her face.   
On some level he was aware that he had been holding his breath the whole time, unconsciously afraid that any movement on his part could spook her, like a fawn in the woods.  
But she kept standing in front of him, quietly waiting.   
She didn’t speak.   
Eventually, she rose up on her toes and looped her arms around his neck.   
He closed his eyes, relaxing into a long, slow exhale, and leaned his forehead against hers.   
“Can?” she said softly. “What did Jake say?”  
He opened his eyes and looked at her for a long moment. Emotions flitted over her face in quick succession.   
Worry. Fear. Curiosity. Concern. And love.   
With a strangled sound he hauled her closer, crushing her body to his, lifting those delicate feet off the floor as he held her tight.  
She hugged him back tightly, as always seeming to understand what he needed, even when he didn’t.   
When he finally set her back on her feet, he felt calmer.  
He cleared his throat and looked her straight in the eyes.  
“Jake overheard Denise on the phone with someone,” he explained in a harsh voice.   
“Just like that day when you were in town.”  
She pulled a face at the memory but didn’t interrupt.  
“Apparently, Denise hasn’t given up on persuading me to do the job, and on top of that…” he broke off, taking a deep breath.   
“On top of that, it appears that she is working with someone else, and that they for some reason intend to break us up. You and me,” he added in a tight voice.   
“And it seems that her partner is headed for the island too now…whatever that means.”   
“Wh...what?” she said, digesting his recap of the conversation with a stunned look on her face. “Denise wants to break us up? But…why?” she mumbled.   
“Honey, I have no idea,” he said, reaching up to cup her face in both of his hands.   
He rubbed circles on her cheeks with his thumbs, staring at her as if he needed to imprint her face on his mind.   
“Maybe she thinks she can get me to sign the contract if we break up, maybe it’s something else. Who knows?” he shrugged.  
“It doesn’t really matter. The important thing is that she’s not going to succeed, okay?” he said, his voice suddenly sounding deep and raspy with emotion.  
“I love you, Sanem,” he said softly.   
“I love you so much, and no matter what she does or who she involves, that’s not going to change. This thing between us? It’s like…nothing I’ve experienced before, okay? It’s so powerful, so perfect. It’s like…it’s like we were meant to be,” he finished, looking a little sheepish at the sappiness and intensity of his own words.   
Sanem blinked rapidly against the tears that were suddenly pooling in her eyes. He reached up to wipe away a hint of wetness.  
“Don’t cry, baby,” he said, pressing kisses on her nose, her cheeks, her eyelids.  
“I-I’m not,” she hiccupped.  
Then she took a steadying breath.   
“I just love you so much, Can,” she whispered, wiping at her cheek with the back of her hand.  
She took another breath and straightened her back.  
“And I’m not letting that woman steal you away!” she continued in a much firmer voice.   
She looked so fierce that he couldn’t help laughing as he hugged her tight.  
“Not gonna happen!” he laughed, ruffling her hair.  
And then he swooped down to catch her lips with his.   
He’d intended the kiss to be romantic and sweet, but the minute their lips met, it felt like an electric current raced down his spine, setting every nerve ending in his body on fire.   
And it seemed like she felt it too.  
The kiss instantly became wild, almost frenzied. Both of them were breathing harshly, hands grabbing, pushing, taking, while their lips and tongues tangled. There was no time to be gentle, as need took over. It was as if they both needed to leave their mark, to brand each other and stake an unmistakable claim for the world to see.   
Can was barely aware of what his hands were doing as his devoured her mouth. He was in a feverish haze of passion as he stroked and caressed every part of her, he could reach. He licked along her bottom lip, gently biting into the fleshy part when she gasped, before deepening the kiss again.   
Sanem’s response was immediate and almost desperate. It was as if she was trying to convince herself that he was really here, that they were together and that nothing could come between them.   
Her hands tangled in his hair, pulling roughly to get closer. She traced kisses and small bites down the column of his neck, her hands restlessly trailing across his chest, around his shoulders, her nails scratching the back of his neck, her lips seeking his blindly…   
He groaned into her mouth and reached down to cup her ass, pushing his hands up under the sweatshirt to get better access. He lifted her easily, and she automatically wrapped her legs around him, making both of them moan in pleasure at the intimate contact.   
“I say dinner can wait,” he mumbled against her ear, as he started walking them towards the door to the hallway.  
Sanem was squirming in his arms, her hips moving rhythmically against his, grinding and pushing to get more friction.   
“I’m not a very good cook anyway,” she gasped in his ear.  
A hoarse chuckle escaped him, but it quickly turned to panting as she bucked and rotated her hips, pressing down on his hard length, making him see stars.   
For a moment her thought his legs would buckle under him. They’d only made it halfway down the hall to her bedroom when he stopped and pushed her up against the wall, using the solid surface to steady himself as he kept grinding against her, mindlessly seeking relief from the rapidly building pressure. He burrowed his face in the crook of her neck, biting down on the sensitive spot at the base of her neck.   
“Can…” she whimpered and started pulling at his t-shirt.  
He paused his kisses just long enough to pull the shirt over his head, needing the skin-contact as much as she did. He groaned in pleasure when he felt her hands on his naked body, loving the way she couldn’t seem to touch enough of him. Her hands were everywhere like she was trying to memorize every inch of his chest and shoulders, the ridges of his abs and the hard line of muscles down his back.   
He held her in place against the wall with his hips, and pushed his hands up under her sweatshirt, stroking the silky, warm skin on her hips, across her belly, moving up to the soft curve of her breasts. He cupped her, relishing the moaning noises she made as he caressed her, tugging gently on the hardened nipple.   
Suddenly he was desperate to get his mouth on her body. He wanted to suck and lick every part of her, but their clothes were in the way.  
“Bedroom…now!” he growled, as he pushed off the wall and carried her the rest of the way down the hall.   
He pushed open the door to the bedroom and in two, long, strides had her feverish body under his in the middle of the colorful pillows and throw-blankets that covered her bed.  
The undressing was rough and sweaty. He pushed the sweatshirt over her head in one quick move, immediately latching on to one dark, pink nipple with his lips, licking, sucking and gently biting the supple flesh. Her moans just spurred him on, making him clumsy in his haste to remove the rest of her clothes. He wrestled with her leggings, but eventually managed to peel them down her legs, leaving her naked except for a pair of white lace panties. He quickly scooted off the bed and dropped his own pants, kicking off his boots as he went. She was writhing on the bed, reaching for him, as he finally dropped the last of his clothes on the floor. For a moment he stood panting at the foot of the bed, just eating her up with his eyes. She was absolutely magnificent. He felt a roaring in his head, and his heart was beating as if it was trying to escape his chest.   
Slowly, he crawled back up the bed, hovering over her for a moment. She made an impatient sound and reached up to pull his head down for a kiss. He groaned into her mouth and covered her body with his, his tongue tangling with hers, hands shaping her body, skin sliding against skin. It didn’t take long for the sensory overload to be too much. He lost himself completely in her, tasting and touching every inch of her. He used everything he’d learned about what she liked, bringing her to a feverish height that matched his own. And she gave herself over to his touch completely, matching his desire every step of the way until he was aware of nothing but the burning need to be one with her. Her hips undulated restlessly under him. Her breaths came in quick, shallow pants. He stared into her eyes, holding himself still for a long moment. And then he entered her, watching the play of emotions on her face at the things he was making her feel. He lost himself in watching her as they made love, the connection seemingly impossible to break. He watched as she fell apart in his arms and he wanted to shout out with happiness. And then his own release swept him away, the intensity heightened by the powerful connection between them. He kept staring into her eyes, as he slowly returned to earth, and he just knew that no matter what the world threw at them, they were going to be all right.


	34. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a bit of fluffy, domestic interlude...I was planning a lot of intense action but didn't feel like when it came down to it. So ...this chapter is probably a reflection of my own need for a break ;-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, and sorry about the irregular updates. I'm having a hard time squeezing any writing in at the moment.

Sanem slowly let herself come fully awake before opening her eyes. She knew – even with her eyes closed – that her room would be bathed in sunlight.   
She smiled to herself and slowly opened her eyes.   
Dust motes were dancing in the golden sunlight. The light had a slightly muted quality where it fell through windowpanes that were covered in a thin film of grime and dust left behind by the storm.   
Her eyes lingered for a moment on a patch of sunlight on the floorboards right next to the bed.   
She frowned, staring at the square of yellow light.   
Something about it looked off, her mind registered sleepily, but she wasn’t nearly awake enough to investigate.   
Her gaze drifted from the square of light over the dresser. Her backpack from yesterday still sat on the floor next to it, leaning against the wall. The clothes she’d worn last night had been dropped haphazardly in a pile on the floor. It all looked familiar.  
But something felt different.   
Her eyes did another tour of the room. Or as much of it as she could see without moving.  
There was something about the way the sunlight slanted across the floor…   
It was the angle of the light falling through the windows, she finally realized.   
The sun was too high in the sky.   
It must be late, she concluded stifling a yawn.  
She briefly wondered if she should feel bad about the late start to the day but quickly dismissed the thought. Sleeping in was one of the perks of this summer job. She could work her own hours and right now, staying in this comfy bed, all warm and snug seemed much more important than the piles of research awaiting her in the kitchen.  
She sighed happily and gazed at the triangle of blue sky visible through the window from her position on the bed.   
It was going to be another beautiful day.   
In fact, it was already getting pretty hot in the sun-drenched bedroom, she noticed.   
She shifted a little, suddenly aware that she was actually feeling really hot.  
But that probably had less to do with the sun and more to do with the warm body wrapped around her, she realized with a smug smile.   
She hummed in content and nestled into to the massive chest pressed against her back. The heavy arm, that was wrapped around her, tightened slightly with her movement, but his breathing remained deep and even.   
A drop of sweat trickled down her neck.   
‘Wow, the man is like a furnace,’ she thought to herself, as she attempted to put a little space between their bodies.   
But there was no room to maneuver. He was curled around her, one leg thrown over both of hers, his arm holding her in a surprisingly tight grip, and that big body almost draped over hers.   
She tried to wriggle free of his embrace without disturbing him. After all, it had been pretty late before they finally went to sleep last night, she recalled with a blush. Can had seemed intent on erasing all memories of Denise’s visit and had made every effort to recreate the happy, intimate love-bubble they’d been in on the mountain.   
She smiled again as her mind lazily travelled through the highlights of last night.   
Yeah, she decided, stifling a giggle. Can had definitely earned a lazy morning in bed!  
But she was burning up now, and desperately needed to cool off.   
She tried worming under his arm, but it seemed to be getting heavier by the second, and it simply wouldn’t budge as she tried to slide free of it.   
Was she imagining things, or did it actually tighten around her?   
She carefully slid her hand under his and tried to lift it a fraction so she could slip out from under it.   
“Stop trying to get away,” his deep, sleep-husky voice murmured in her ear.   
“You’re awake!” She sighed happily and relaxed into his arms again for a moment.   
She felt his lips brush against her shoulder before he settled back down. Sanem closed her eyes and tried to let herself sink back into sleep.  
But she really was very hot!  
She tried poking his bicep, to see if he’d gone back to sleep.   
No reaction.   
She tried to ignore the rivulet of sweat that formed between her breasts, tickling as it slid sideways down her torso. But soon she couldn’t stand it anymore and she started wriggling again.  
“Quit squirming around,” he grumbled. “I’m not letting you go.”  
He burrowed his face into her hair, his hold around her body tightening briefly in a hug.  
“Can, I’m hot,” she whined, trying to push away a little.   
“I know,” he whispered, smiling against her neck. “So hot!”  
“Caaan…” she protested with a giggle, pushing at his arm for real now.  
Finally, he gave in, and released her. With a groan he rolled on to his back, arms spread wide across the bed.   
Cool air kissed her overheated skin as his big body rolled away from hers and settled on the bed behind her.   
She shifted around until she was facing him.   
She lifted her hair away from her neck to cool down, and tried to relax back into sleep. But her eyes soon popped open to look at him.   
For a moment, all she could do was stare in awe at this magnificent man, spread-eagled on her bed.  
His eyes were closed, and he looked like he’d gone back to sleep.   
And contrarily, she found herself missing the feel of his body against hers.   
“Make up your mind, Sanem!” she mumbled to herself, as she watched his breathing slow and get deeper. She argued with herself briefly. Then, she started inching closer.  
Just enough to feel the heat radiating off him, she told herself.   
Or maybe just a tiny bit closer, not much of course, but she already missed having his scent in her nose.   
She shifted closer little by little, until her head was resting comfortably on his outstretched arm, her hand splayed on his stomach.  
Finally content, she closed her eyes and relaxed.  
She was just starting to drift off, when she felt eyes on her. She looked up to find him grinning at her, looking indecently good, all sleepy-eyed, bed-haired and languidly sexy.   
Sanem gasped in surprise and exhaled slowly as she stared at him.  
It really wasn’t fair that anyone could look that good first thing in the morning, she decided a little grumpily.   
And as always, looking at him soon sparked a need for touching him.   
Without breaking eye contact, she pushed up on her elbow, and leaned over him supporting herself with one hand on his hard abs. She slowly leaned in and brushed the lightest of kisses over his lips. He didn’t move but his eyes fluttered closed, and the corner of his mouth lifted just a fraction as if he was fighting a smile.   
She rubbed her nose lightly against his and gave him another feather-light kiss. When he still didn’t move, she went to lie back down.   
“You know, I could get used to waking up with you,” he drawled, eyes still closed.   
“Me too…” she sighed in agreement, letting her eyes roam over his face. He looked so young and peaceful when he was relaxed like this.   
She traced the lines of his face.   
The strong jawline that even his beard couldn’t hide. The high cheekbones, the perfect, straight-edged nose, those expressive, elegantly shaped eyebrows. The dimples that seemed to be hovering even when he wasn’t smiling…and of course, the lips that always seemed to curl up slightly at the corners as if a smile was lurking permanently. Even when he was half asleep like now.   
She was so busy studying that mouth that she didn’t even notice she’d become an object of scrutiny herself.   
A growly sound rumbled through his chest, making her look up to see his eyes, heavy-lidded and smoldering, fixed on her face.   
Something flashed in his eyes and the next thing she knew, she was flat on her back staring up at him as he hovered over her, looking down at her hungrily.   
She blinked at his sudden move but felt her body’s immediate response to the heat in his eyes.   
His hands found hers - first one, then the other - slowly pushing them up the sheet till he had them anchored above her head. He held them loosely in place against the mattress, interlacing their fingers. He took his time, never looking away from her face. But she hadn’t even thought of moving. The sheer intensity of those dark, hungry eyes kept her locked in place.   
Her mouth suddenly felt dry and she swallowed hard.  
He bent his head slowly till his lips hovered just a hairbreadth over hers.  
“You know, if you wanted to get out of bed, you really shouldn’t look at me like that,” he murmured against her cheek, trailing soft kisses from the corner of her eye, down to her jaw, continuing in a hot line down her neck.  
“Like…like what?” she gasped, letting her eyes drift shut as she enjoyed the gentle caresses.  
“Like you want me for breakfast,” he whispered in her ear, sending delicious chills down her spine.  
“Is that what it looked like?” she mumbled, aware that her voice sounded embarrassingly breathy.  
“Mmm…” he said against the hollow at the base of her neck, as he traced kisses from one shoulder to the other.   
She’d thought he was the hungry-looking one, she wanted to protest, but she lost her train of thought as the soft lips tracing across her collarbone, made her moan softly.   
She wasn’t even sure what her ‘I-want-to-eat-you’-face looked like, she thought dreamily, but it didn’t really matter. The idea had merit, she decided with a lazy smile.   
After all, they had nowhere to be today and all the time in the world to get there… 

***

Sanem was pouring coffee into two mugs when she heard Can walk into the kitchen. The fresh scent of her lemon and herb shower-gel wafted in ahead of him, and she glanced up, a smile already forming on her face. But her smile quickly turned into a slack-mouthed, dazed stare as she took in his fresh-out-of-the shower look. Time seemed to slow down as he approached, moving in slow-motion.   
Or so it seemed to her…  
He was barefoot and wearing faded black jeans that hugged his powerful thighs in a way that drew her eyes to the shifting muscles with every step he took. A loose, white t-shirt with a wide V-neck displayed a triangle of smooth, golden skin. His hair hung in wet tendrils around his face, making it look darker than normal, and the white t-shirt clung to his still damp skin, showing off the hard planes and ridges of muscles, making him look like an ad for men’s health.   
‘Or every woman’s living, breathing fantasy,’ her inner voice sighed dreamily.  
“Shush!” she mumbled, with a shake of her head.  
The man really should come with a warning she mused, letting her eyes roam freely over him. She was seriously beginning to wonder if she was ever going to get used to the impact he made, just walking into a room.  
Then she gave herself a mental shake.  
“Food’s ready,” she croaked, holding out one of the steaming mugs for him.  
“Thanks, Baby,” he smiled, apparently oblivious to the effect he had on her, and took a sip of the coffee.   
“This looks great,” he said with obvious delight, taking in the various breakfast and lunch items spread out on the breakfast bar. He leaned across the counter to place a kiss on the tip of her nose.  
Then he frowned and looked around the kitchen thoughtfully.  
“Have you seen my phone anywhere?” he asked. “I can’t find it and I was going to check in with Jake.”  
Sanem looked around the sunny, but slightly messy kitchen.   
The countertops were a mess after her cooking session. Her research and writing were happily co-mingling on the small table by the window, her laptop balanced precariously on top. An empty coffee mug sat next to a pile of books, but there were no signs of a phone anywhere.  
“No,” she said with a shrug, taking a sip of her coffee. “I haven’t seen it.”  
“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen mine either,” she added with a frown.   
And that wasn’t like her.   
She wasn’t exactly a phone addict, but she never went anywhere without it, always on some level worried that something bad would happen if she was unreachable.  
Feeling slightly panicked, she tried to recall when she’d last had it.   
Probably right before Can came over yesterday?  
She remembered seeing him approach…  
‘I was in the kitchen and saw Can through the window. The phone was in my hand. I ran to the front door, to open it for him…’  
Putting down her mug, she followed her mind’s replay of her movements the day before. She walked down the hall towards the front door.   
‘I had the phone with me…but I put it down on…’ she looked down on the small table by the front door. And there, in the ceramic bowl that usually held her keys, was her phone.  
“Gotcha!” she mumbled with a triumphant smile and grabbed the phone.   
When she returned a moment later, phone clutched in her hand, Can was in the living room, turning over pillows on the couch.  
“No luck?” she asked.  
“No, I can’t find it anywhere.” He ran a hand through his damp hair in frustration.  
“Hang on, I’ll try calling it,” she offered, dialing his number.   
Nothing happened. No telltale ringtone anywhere.  
“Did you mute it?” she asked with a frown. Then she noticed how low her battery was running and went in search of a charger.  
“Do you remember the last time you had it?” she called over her shoulder as she headed for the kitchen.   
“Not sure,” he said, giving the couch-cushions one more toss. “I took that call from Jake when I first got here. That was in the kitchen…” his voice trailed off as he followed her into the kitchen and headed for the table where all her work was piled up.   
“I was standing right here, and when I ended the call, I put the phone…” he broke off, his face scrunched up in concentration. Then he started shifting around the piles of paper on the table.   
“Aha!” he said, fishing the missing phone out from a folder of some of her research.   
“I guess I must have accidentally pushed it in here or something,” he muttered, tapping the screen to check for messages.  
“Damn,” he mumbled under his breath.   
“Battery’s dead,” he said in explanation, holding up the phone.   
“I never forget to charge my phone,” he frowned, shaking his head.   
Then he shrugged.  
“I guess something distracted me,” he looked at her pointedly and waggled his eyebrows.  
“Or us, I guess,” he added with a grin.   
Sanem just rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the light blush creeping into her cheeks.  
“Here. Use this,” she said a little flustered, pulling a spare charger out from amongst the scattered paperwork. “And then come and eat while it recharges,” she added, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before hopping up on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. 

***

Can kept things light and fun over their late, lazy breakfast, sneaking in the occasional kiss or caress in between bites of food and sips of coffee.   
Sanem felt herself respond to his open display of affection, like a flower turning towards the sun. She wondered if she’d ever get used to the way he was always touching her, like he just couldn’t help himself.   
It made her feel special. Cherished.   
‘Is this what it’s like?’ she thought dreamily. ‘Is this how it feels to be in a relationship? To be part of a couple?’   
She glanced at him from under her lashes, studying the play of emotion on his handsome face as he talked.  
Something squeezed tight in her chest, and she suddenly felt overcome by an overwhelming wave of happiness. She clutched her mug in both hands and held her breath, riding out the intense emotion.   
He looked up and smiled at her.  
She felt a big, goofy grin spread on her own face in response.   
Can had just fed her a bite of a croissant, when his phone revived enough to start beeping with incoming messages.   
He grimaced and leaned in to kiss away a tiny smear of strawberry jam on her lips.  
They kept nibbling at the food and chatting for a while longer, but she couldn’t help but notice that he kept glancing towards where the phone sat charging on the cluttered table.   
“Maybe you’d better check if it’s something important,” she said. “Before you give yourself a neck-injury from all the head-turning,” she teased with a wink.  
He pinched her cheek for her sassiness, but he got up and fetched the phone anyway.   
Sanem watched as he scrolled through the incoming texts and missed calls. He was frowning, and then he was grumbling something unintelligible.  
“Ah! Derya!” he finally said in exasperation, dropping the phone as if it had burned him.   
“What?” she asked, instantly worried.   
“Did your sister text? Is it your dad? Did something happen?”   
“No, no, nothing like that,” he said absentmindedly, getting up to put the phone back to finish charging.   
He stayed there, both hands thrust deep into his pockets, staring out the window.   
Sanem got up and walked towards him silently.   
“When did you say Zoe would get here?” he asked without turning to look at her. There was a funny note to his voice, she noticed.  
“Tomorrow,” she said, stepping closer and sliding her arms around his waist from behind.   
“So, we have all day today all to ourselves…” she whispered with a smile, pressing kisses between his shoulder blades.   
“Why do you ask?” she mumbled against the soft fabric of his t-shirt, as her fingers explored the valleys and ridges of his tight abs.   
He sighed and covered her hands with his.  
“Because my busy-body of a sister just texted that she and her fiancée…” he paused as if the word left a bad taste in his mouth. “They are coming for a visit – arriving today! They will be staying for a few days,” he added hollowly, as if announcing the end of the world.   
“Apparently, it was supposed to be a surprise but Derya sucks at surprises. Thank God for that at least…” his voice trailed off.   
Sanem didn’t have time to untangle the mixed emotions that bombarded her at his casual explanation. There was an initial pang of disappointment at the prospect of having to share him with others. Then, an acute sense of anxiety about meeting his sister followed close on its heels. Somewhere in the mix was a measure of excitement. And after that it just got messy…  
But Can interrupted her attempt to unravel the mess. He quickly spun around and hooked his hands behind her back, pulling her close against his body. He rested his chin on top of her head and just held her in a tight embrace for a long moment.  
She was still trying to process her feelings about the visit when he leaned back a little to look at her.   
She took a moment to compose herself before she looked up.   
And then she did a double take.   
Can wore an expression so over-the-top miserable, she just couldn’t help it.   
She took one look at his face and started laughing.   
“It’s not funny,” he groaned, looking slightly offended.   
“First Denise shows up before we’re even in the door! Then my sister and her wannabe of a fiancée announce that they will be barging in here any minute now, and tomorrow we’re adding your friend to the party. We should have never come back here!”  
He sighed melodramatically and hung his head.  
Sanem had to bite her lip to stop the giggles.  
But when he looked up again there was an unmistakably mischievous glint in his eyes.  
“How would you feel about sneaking back up to the cabin and leaving the world to take care of itself for a while?” he asked slowly, a boyish grin spreading on his face.  
“We could claim our phones broke during the storm and we never got the messages about their visit?” he said hopefully, twisting a lock of her hair around a finger.  
“Can!” she said. “It’s your sister…”  
“I know, I know,” he said with a longsuffering look on his face. Then he sighed.  
“Don’t get me wrong,” he said, tucking the lock of hair behind her ear, letting his fingers trail down the side of her neck.   
“I love my sister. And I’m thrilled that you get to meet her,” he added, smiling fondly at the thought.  
“She’s going to love you.”   
Sanem felt her mouth go dry as that belly-flipping, anxious feeling returned, but managed a wobbly smile in return.  
“And I’m also truly happy that your friend is coming to see you,” he said in a more serious tone, cupping her face in his hand.   
He pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her lips.  
Then he sighed.  
“It’s just that I really, really, wanted some more time alone, just the two of us, before the rest of world started demanding our attention. And now it feels like we’re being invaded!” he said petulantly.  
Sanem silently agreed, her baser instincts urging her to take him up on his offer. It really was awfully tempting to play hide and seek in the cabin for a while longer.   
But they were adults, she reminded herself, trying to ignore the heavy feeling in her gut at the thought of his sister and brother-in-law-to-be descending on them in just a few short hours. They couldn’t escape reality for long anyway, she decided.  
She took a deep breath, mentally adjusting to the imminent onslaught of visitors.  
“Poor baby,” she teased lightly, patting him on the cheek.   
Can pulled a face.  
And then he pouted.   
He actually pouted! Like a big baby.   
Sanem had to bite her cheek not to laugh at his martyred expression.  
“Look,” she tried reasoning with him. “The timing isn’t the best, I agree. But if you think about it, it’s pretty great that we get all the visits over with in one go. It’ll just be for a few days, and we’ll get to spend some quality time – alone! – once everybody is gone, right?”  
She wasn’t entirely sure if she was trying to appease him or calm her own fluttery nerves, but she didn’t feel like examining her own motives too closely.   
To distract them both, she rose up on her toes to give him a quick kiss.  
“Yeah, I guess…” he sighed, still not looking too happy about it.   
“It’s just making me regret all the alone-time we’ve wasted,” he groused, bending down to playfully bite her shoulder.   
“All those days …weeks even…we’ve had this place all to ourselves and we didn’t even take advantage.” His nose traced a line up the side of her neck, his teeth nibbling lightly on her earlobe.   
Sanem sighed, partly in regret, partly from the sparks of pleasure running through her body.   
“We’ll just have to make up for it when everyone leaves,” she whispered, leaning into his caress.  
“Mmmm…I like the sound of that,” he mumbled against her cheek  
She closed her eyes briefly, just enjoying the warm intimacy of the moment.   
“So…when exactly should we expect them?” she asked, reluctantly pulling out of the dreamy state he put her in every time he started touching her like that.  
Can pulled back and checked his watch with a frown.   
“Given the arrival time of the ferry, and the drive out here…probably in about an hour,” he said, pulling a face.   
“What?” Sanem shrieked and pulled out of his embrace, all dreamy laziness gone.  
“But…I haven’t even showered yet! I’m a mess. This place is a mess… What should I wear? I need to prepare…Maybe I should just stay here today and meet them tomorrow? They are here to visit you anyway, right?” she babbled, all the while compiling a mental list of things she needed to do before the guests arrived.  
“Sanem,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders.  
“Oh, this is so not good,” she mumbled obliviously. “They’re going to hate me! I just know it, and I really wanted to make a good impression…I mean, it’s your sister, this is kind of important, Can…Can? Are you listening? I mean, what does she like? What’s her fiancée’s name? Shouldn’t I at least know his name? And what do…”  
“Sanem!” he cut in, giving her shoulders a light shake to get her attention.  
“Huh?” she looked up at him and blinked.  
“Breathe, Sanem,” he said with a smile. “Everything is going to be fine. You don’t need to do anything. Just be yourself, okay? They’ll love you. Promise.” He kissed her nose again and smiled.  
She just stared at him for a long moment.  
“Right…” she mumbled.   
“I’ll just go and shower then…?” she added absentmindedly.  
“You do that. I’ll clean up here while you get ready,” he said, suddenly looking completely fine and relaxed about the family invasion heading their way.   
She glowered at him, but he just chuckled, turned her around by her shoulders and gave her a gentle push towards the door.

***

Half an hour later Sanem was sitting on the couch in his living room, nervously smoothing her hands down her denim-clad thighs, when Can’s phone beeped with an incoming message.  
“They’re on their way,” he announced, looking entirely too cheerful she thought darkly.  
“Great,” she muttered, fidgeting and trying to recall the breathing techniques she’d learned over the years, for when a panic attack set in.   
Can seemed to pick up on her mood, because he strolled over and plonked down on the couch next to her, reaching for her hand. She let him take it but didn’t look up. She could feel him studying her intently, but she simply couldn’t meet his gaze. Instead, she focused her attention on her fingers, nervously picking at a loose thread from a small tear at the knee of her skinny jeans.   
She only had a moment’s warning. She felt his body-heat as he leaned towards her, and then, she was airborne as he unceremoniously picked her up and sat her in his lap.  
“Can!” she protested, as he ruffled her hair playfully, and hugged her tight, wrinkling her white eyelet lace top in the process.   
The top was sleeveless and loose fitting, but more dressy than her usual t-shirts. Paired with skinny jeans and a pair of nude sandals, she’d almost felt put together and prepared to meet his sister. Except now he was getting her all scrunched up!  
Can just laughed and hugged her tighter.  
“Stop worrying!” he ordered, pressing a kiss to her cheek.  
“Sanem, you’re amazing. Smart, funny, adorable, and Derya is going to love you!” he said, squeezing her for emphasis.   
“And did I mention that you look absolutely beautiful? Because you do,” he added softly, slipping a hand under her top to rub soothing circles on the skin on her lower back.   
Except the touch of his fingers on her bare skin sent tiny sparks up her spine, that were anything but calming.  
“But even if you were in your PJ’s you’d still look adorable,” he whispered in her ear, seemingly unaware of the effect of his caress.   
He kissed her blushing cheek again. And again.   
“Okay, okay, I get it,” she relented with a pained expression. “They won’t eat me. But could you just…distract me please?”   
She took a deep breath.   
“I mean, it’s easy for you to say that she’ll love me, but how can I be sure? I don’t know her,” she argued.   
“In fact, all I really know about her is that she runs your family’s company and didn’t like the island as a child!” she rolled her eyes and looked down at her hands again.  
“Not really a lot of common ground there…” she mumbled dejectedly.  
Can was quiet for a moment. Then he caught her chin between two fingers and lifted her face to look her in the eyes.  
“Listen to me, Baby,” he said intently, his eyes warm and glowing with emotion.  
“Derya is not the type of person who cares what people do or how much money they have or any of those things, okay? All she’s going to care about is whether or not you make me happy. And Sanem, you make me happier than I’ve ever been before,” he said, looking into her eyes.   
She felt a warm glow spreading from somewhere in her belly region at his words.   
“So trust me,” he continued. “Derya is going to love you. It’s just a fact.”   
He shrugged and smiled one of those smiles that seemed to light up his whole face. She couldn’t help but smile back, wondering how it was possible for eyes to smile like his did. It was making her feel like she could wrap that warm, brown gaze around her like a blanket.  
She lost herself in those eyes for a moment, and when he leaned in to kiss her, her lips parted automatically and she sighed into his mouth, as she let him take charge.  
They sat like that for a long time, kissing slow, deep, kisses that were both soothing and passionate at the same time. His hands travelled up and down her spine in a comforting way, and she couldn’t help but lean into him. Her arms somehow found their way around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair.   
By the time they broke apart, she was gasping for air, her cheeks felt hot and she’d forgotten what she’d been so worked up about.   
Can studied her face for a moment. He seemed to find what he was looking for because he nodded with a satisfied smile, before sliding her off his lap and standing up.   
The serene feeling of calm and bliss slowly evaporated as she recalled the reason for his kissing diversion-technique.  
“Damn…” she mumbled under her breath.  
“What was that?” he said, an amused look in his eyes.  
“It didn’t work,” she muttered dejectedly. “Your distraction,” she clarified.   
“I’m still nervous and totally unprepared to meet your sister and…what’s his name again? I don’t think you ever told me,” she asked with a frown.  
“His name is Emre,” Can said, pulling a face.  
“Emre,” she repeated.  
“And you don’t like him,” she added more as a statement of fact than a question.   
Can didn’t seem to realize it, but every time she brought up his sister’s fiancée a look of distaste flitted across his face.  
“Why do you say that?” he asked. But he didn’t deny it.  
“Well, the look on your face every time he comes up in conversation for one,” she said with a wry smile. “And the fact that you never mentioned him until you found out he was coming here. And when you do mention him, you look like you have a bad taste in your mouth. And, of course that you…”  
“Yeah, yeah, all right, okay. I get it,” he interrupted with a wave of his hand.  
He blew out a breath of air and rolled his neck.   
“You’re right, I’m not a huge fan,” he finally said.   
“But he’s Derya’s choice, so…” he shrugged meaningfully.  
“Why don’t you like him?” she asked, genuine curiosity pushing aside her own insecurities for the moment.  
Can gave her a thoughtful look.  
“Well,” he said slowly. “It’s not easy to explain. It’s not any one thing that he’s said or done,” he trailed off.  
“But he’s not a bad man?” she prompted when he didn’t continue.   
“He’s not treating her badly or anything like that?”  
“What? No! No of course not.” He looked shocked. “I mean, would I let my sister be with someone who didn’t treat her right?” he looked outraged at the thought.   
“Emre worships my sister,” he said grudgingly.  
“No, it’s more subtle than that. Just this feeling I’ve always had about him…”  
Sanem looked at him as he struggled to find the words to explain.  
“I don’t know, Sanem,” he said slowly. “It’s true I’ve never liked him much, but I guess I’ve always just assumed it’s because he and I are so different.” He ran both hands over his hair, hooking them behind his neck.   
“Emre and I…we don’t have a lot in common,” he mused, staring into space.   
“We have very different priorities and goals in life. On paper I guess he’s perfect for Derya. Same interests, same goals, they want the same things out of life…”  
She kept quiet while he tried to explain.  
“They met in college, you know,” he said with a quick smile. “Emre was just like her back then. Ambitious, hard-working, couldn’t wait to get his degree so he could go out and start real life. Just like Derya. Except with Derya the goal was always taking over the family business, because she’s passionate about it, had plans for it, wanted to make it better, you know?”  
He shrugged.  
“But it has always seemed to me that for Emre, power, position, money…those things mattered more than what he’d have to do to get them. There’s just something about him that I’ve never really liked. He’s kind of slippery…fake. Or maybe it’s just that he cares too much about façade.”   
He shrugged.   
“I just don’t really trust him for some reason, but I can’t quite explain it.”   
He paused.   
“But maybe that’s just me being cynical. I’ll admit he’s intelligent enough not to be boring,” he added with a wry smile.  
“And, of course he’s quite good looking I suppose…” he grimaced. “In a polished, preppy sort of way.”  
Sanem smiled inwardly at his obvious prejudice.  
He stared at nothing for a long moment. Then he shook himself.  
“But if he makes Derya happy, I’m willing to tolerate him,” he finished.   
Sanem was silent for a beat. Then she chuckled.  
“What?” he asked.  
“Oh, nothing,” she smiled.  
“Tell me,” he pressed.  
“Well,” she said, “It’s just that…it sounds a little like maybe you’re just being a typical big brother, you know?”   
Can gave her a blank stare.   
“Oh, come on, Can!” she laughed. “Isn’t it sort of textbook older-brother behavior to distrust any man in his baby sister’s life?”  
He looked a little offended but mulled it over for a moment.   
“Huh!” he said. “I hadn’t really thought of it that way. I suppose it might be part of what’s bothering me.”   
He chewed his lip.   
“But no, that’s not it. Not entirely, at least,” he shook his head emphatically.   
“There’s something off about Emre…” he said slowly.  
But before he could elaborate, the sound of gravel crunching under tires carried in through the open window.  
Forgetting all about Can’s dislike of his sister’s fiancée, Sanem jumped up and started running her hands through her hair.   
Her heart was suddenly going a hundred miles an hour again.  
She smoothed down her top and wiped the palms of her hands on her thighs one more time.  
Her mouth felt parched and her belly was doing flips at a nauseating speed.  
She felt like she was about to sit a really hard exam but without knowing the topic. Like she was going to a job interview without the required qualifications. Like she was…  
‘Stop it!’ her inner voice snapped. ‘Get a grip. It’s his sister. Not a hostile army. Just breathe.’   
She squeezed her eyes shut for a second.   
Then, she took a deep breath and prepared to meet Can’s sister.

***

Sanem breathed in the cool evening air and stopped to stare out over the bay. She hugged herself, rubbing her hands up and down her bare arms to ward off the chill of the night air.  
It was late but she was in no hurry to get back to the cottage.   
She’d decided to get some air and take a little time to process the events of the day, while Can was getting Derya and Emre settled in at the main house.   
She sighed and lingered for a moment longer, letting the night air and peaceful surroundings soothe her overheated mind.  
Silver moonlight reflected in the calm ocean. The soft whoosh of gentle waves washing up on the sand below formed a distant background music to the nighttime sounds from the woods behind the house; the rustling of leaves, the occasional high-pitched call from a peeper frog, low hooting from nocturnal birds. The fresh, salty air had a pleasant perfume of wildflowers and the sweet notes of grass that had been baking in the sun all day.   
She breathed in deeply and smiled to herself.   
It was hard to believe she’d been so nervous about meeting Derya.   
Although, Can’s sister was a force to be reckoned with, she thought with a silent chuckle.   
But she was also warm, friendly, and very easygoing. Nothing like the hard-edged, stylishly cool businesswoman, she’d come to expect.   
She smiled into the darkness.  
Derya had barely waited for the car to come to a stop before she’d hopped out. She’d blasted through the door, running straight into her brother’s arms, laughing and talking a mile a minute, while her fiancée had staggered up the steps behind her, carrying what looked like luggage for a month – not a few days.   
And Derya hadn’t wasted any time in extending her exuberance to Sanem.   
After the initial reunion with her brother, her dark, laser sharp eyes had zeroed in on Sanem, and with a squeal of delight she’d skipped all introduction and simply thrown her arms around her in a tight hug, practically jumping with excitement.   
Sanem shook her head, still not quite recovered from the other woman’s overwhelming enthusiasm.  
Physically, Derya didn’t resemble her brother much.   
But that was probably a good thing, Sanem decided with a giggle, considering her brother’s massive physique.  
Derya was tall for woman, but delicate, with the long-limbed, slender frame of a runway model. Her long hair seemed to be a million different shades of dark blonde, so different from her brother’s warm brown. It fell in a tumble of glossy waves down her back, all bouncy and silky looking. She was beautiful, but not in the classic way. She had a small upturned nose, big, dark doe-eyes and a pouty rosebud-mouth that gave her face a deceptively childlike, almost angelic quality.   
Deceptive, because Sanem had already witnessed the iron will and sharp brain behind that face.   
She almost felt a little sorry for the no doubt countless men, who’d been fooled by that face into thinking the woman behind it was a delicate flower in need of protection.  
Derya was definitely no delicate flower!   
Sanem smiled and shook her head in wonder.  
In many ways, Derya was exactly the type of woman, who’d usually make her feel completely insecure and intimidated. With her perfect body and face, her impeccable grooming and inherent elegance, her relaxed confidence and that sharply honed mind for business on top of it all. Derya was overwhelming to say the least!  
Yeah, normally she’d have been tongue-tied and self-conscious around someone like that.   
But Can’s sister was just so…likable, Sanem decided.  
Derya’s bubbly and unassuming nature, her obvious love and admiration for her brother and her immediate acceptance of Sanem, had won her over in a matter of minutes.  
Granted, being around Derya was a bit like being caught up in a tornado.  
She had your head spinning so fast it was impossible to resist her. She had a way of getting people to talk that could make seasoned journalists or police interrogators jealous, Sanem thought, still feeling slightly dizzy after the intense Q&A Derya had put her through.   
Can had tried to shield her from the worst of it, but Derya was clearly on a mission to get to know the new love interest in her brother’s life.  
Sanem still couldn’t believe how much information Derya had managed to get out of her in just the few short hours since they’d met. It would have been a little scary if Derya hadn’t been so…nice.   
There was just no other word for it.   
Sanem shook her head in silent wonder.  
The best thing was that even while Derya had been drilling her for information, she’d been pretty generous with stories of her own. Thanks to her, Sanem now knew a lot more about Can’s past – including his past love life.   
She bit her lip as she thought over what Derya had told her.  
Can had apparently been a bit of a loner up until now. No serious girlfriend, not even a crush as far as Derya knew. Not that he’d been without female company, but he’d just never been with anyone for long or seemed very affected by them.  
And it seemed that Denise had been right in one way at least, she thought with a sigh.  
According to Derya, the women Can had been dating in the past, had been very much like Denise – glamorous, beautiful women, who moved in the right circles, and knew the right people.   
But Derya had also made it clear that Denise had it all wrong when she thought Can had actually liked any of those women. Most of them had been dates for work-functions or women he’d been set up with by their parents. The few he’d been dating out of choice had never lasted more than one or two dates, and he’d never shown any kind of real, lasting interest in anyone.  
Until now.   
Sure, he’d had affairs, Derya had said in an off-hand manner that was probably supposed to convey how meaningless they had been.   
But to Sanem the words had still felt like a punch to the gut.   
And Derya seemed to have realized her mistake immediately. She’d gone on and on about how she’d never seen her big brother like he was with Sanem, how she’d never seen him in love before and how she was over the moon that it had finally happened!  
All of which made Sanem feel marginally better.   
But the idea of Can’s past affairs still made her queasy, she silently admitted to herself.   
Which was stupid.   
She knew that.   
It was in the past, and it wasn’t like she hadn’t known he had a past.   
Most people their age did.  
She was the anomaly here. Not him.   
But she still hated the thought of another woman being intimate with him. Knowing him. Getting to touch him. Being touched by him…  
“Oh, stop it, Sanem,” she mumbled, angry with herself for ruining the beautiful evening by letting it bother her.   
“Stop what?” a deep, husky voice mumbled in her ear, as strong arms pulled her back against a warm body.  
Sanem yelped in surprise, before relaxing back against him.  
“Nothing,” she sighed with a smile.  
“Just talking myself out of unnecessary worry,” she shrugged lightly.  
He was silent for a moment.  
“You can’t still be worried that my sister won’t like you,” he said speculatively. “She clearly adores you.”   
“Which just goes to show that good taste runs in the family,” he added with a low chuckle, and pressed a kiss to her cheek.   
Sanem laughed and let her head fall to the side, to give him better access.   
“So…if you’re not worried about Derya liking you,” he continued thoughtfully, in between placing kisses down the side of her neck.   
“What are you worried about?”  
“It’s nothing,” she said, turning around in his arms and looping her arms around his neck.  
“Tell me,” he mumbled against her lips.   
“Any chance you’ll let this one go?” she sighed.  
“Nope!” he said, his teeth a brief flash of white in the moonlight as he grinned.  
“You’ll think it’s silly,” she argued.  
“Try me,” he commanded, pulling her closer.   
She rolled her eyes at him and sighed.  
“I was just recalling what Derya told me about your past…girlfriends,” she shrugged.   
“My past girlfriends?” he sounded confused.  
“What did Derya tell you?”  
“Nothing bad. I’m just being stupidly jealous over the women who’s known you before we even met,” she said.   
“And I guess her stories reminded me of the things Denise said that day in town,” she continued when he didn’t immediately speak.   
“Derya kind of confirmed what Denise said about your previous ‘type’, I guess,” she trailed off.  
“What? Ah! Derya!” he sighed.   
“Sanem, please,” he said urgently. “I thought I already explained that I wasn’t in love with any of those women. That I’m not interested in all that polished glamour or the hunt for money and position…”  
“I know,” she smiled and cupped his face in her hands.  
“I know that. And Derya said the same thing too,” she added with a wink.   
Then she shrugged.  
“Doesn’t change the fact that I hate the idea of anyone else being with you – even if it’s in the past.”   
He kept quiet, studying her face like he was trying to figure out if he was in trouble or not.  
“The thing is…”   
She looked into his eyes and smiled.  
“You’re mine, Can Divit,” she said quietly, poking him in the chest with her finger for emphasis.   
His sharp intake of air was clearly audible in the quiet of the night.  
And then he was kissing her.   
A hard, passionate, possessive kiss, as if he wanted to claim her, to brand himself on her for the world to see.   
And she found herself wanting to be claimed.


	35. Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can is getting some time with his sister and Sanem's friend arrives to join the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is quite a bit of talk, talk, talk...lots of things people need to say to each other. 
> 
> Oh, and sorry for the irregular updates. Life gets in the way of writing at the moment, so they will continue to be somewhat regular for a while I'm afraid.

“So…” Derya said, resting one slender, denim-clad hip on the counter next to the sink where Can was washing the breakfast dishes.  
“So?” he replied, deliberately ignoring the determined look on her face.   
He knew that look.   
It was the look that meant his sister was settling in for a talk, and that he’d better not try to wriggle out of it!  
Can placed another dish in the sink and decided to play it cool.  
He knew exactly what his sister was after, and he was - surprisingly - not unwilling to tell her what she wanted to know, he realized.   
But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to make her work for it.   
“Oh, come on big brother!” she said in exasperation when he didn’t volunteer any information.   
“Drop the smug face and spill! Tell me all about it. I’m dying here!” she said throwing both hands up in true diva-fashion.  
He had to bite his cheek to keep from smiling, and absentmindedly wondered if there was a special place in hell for brothers who couldn’t help but aggravate their sisters. If so, he’d long since punched that ticket, he decided, so he might as well have some fun.   
“What do you want to know, sis?” he asked casually, placing the plate in the rack to dry.  
Her eyes narrowed and she folded her arms across her chest, as she gave him ‘the stare’.   
It was a look that she’d perfected since childhood, and over the years it had proven surprisingly effective as a means to intimidate and bully people into giving her what she wanted.   
Except, it had never worked on him.  
“As if you don’t know!” Derya scoffed, dropping the death-stare. “I want to know everything!”  
“That’s a big ask,” he deadpanned.  
“Caaan!” she whined, stamping a foot in frustration.  
“I want to know all about you and Sanem,” she said with a pout that had even less effect on him than the stare.   
“I want to know how you met, when was your first kiss…actually, how was your first kiss,” she added with a wink.   
Can rolled his eyes at her.  
“Everything. I want to know everything,” she insisted.  
“Come on, Derya,” he sighed. “I’m not one of your girlfriends. I’m a man. Men don’t talk about that stuff. And certainly not to their sisters. I mean, seriously! I’d never ask you for that kind of detail,” he argued, resting both hands on the edge of the sink.   
“Come to think of it, I’d really, really like to never hear about those details where you are concerned,” he added with a shudder, dipping back in the sudsy water for the next plate.  
“Yeah, but I don’t know Sanem well enough to ask her those things yet, do I?” Derya complained.   
“Yet?” he glared at her. “As in, you are going to ask, once you do know her better?”   
Derya just shrugged and lifted and eyebrow at him.  
He let his head fall back with a silent oath.  
This was exactly why life was so much easier without the complications of a relationship!   
If there was no relationship, there was nothing for your relatives to pry into.  
Life was just so much easier that way.  
But then an image of Sanem’s face popped into his head.   
Her soft, pink lips curved up in a smile, her chocolate-and-honey eyes sparkling with mischief, her silky hair falling in soft waves around her face…  
He suddenly missed her so much it took his breath away.   
‘And that is exactly why you’ve taken a chance on a relationship in spite of the prying family members,’ the voice in the back of his head concluded in a self-satisfied tone.   
“Yeah, I know,” he mumbled, shaking his head at his own surrender. “There was never really any choice.”   
He sighed, but didn’t bother wiping away the small smile playing around his lips.   
Derya was eyeing him expectantly.   
“Okay sis, you get the basics,” he relented.  
“Yesss!” Derya squealed and clapped her hands.  
He took a deep breath and started counting off her questions.   
“Sanem and I met the day I returned to the island after my last visit in New York,” he said, ignoring her dramatics.   
“Our first kiss was the day I returned to the island after my last visit in New York,” he continued, ticking off the next question on her list.   
“Wait, what?” Derya said, snapping to attention.  
He grinned to himself.   
Yeah, he knew that one was going to get her.  
“And…it was amazing,” he concluded in answer to her third question, as he resumed washing plates.   
There was a moment’s stunned silence. Then, with no warning, Derya moved to stand behind him, wrapping both arms around him in a big hug.  
Can gave a startled chuckle but continued rinsing plates.   
“What was that for?” he laughed.  
Derya stepped back to lean on the counter again, facing him.  
“I just love seeing you like this,” she said softly, cupping his cheek in her hand.   
She sniffled and her lips quivered in a slightly wobbly smile.   
“You know…All happy and stuff.”  
For a second he worried that she was actually going to cry, but then she straightened up and cleared her throat.  
“In all seriousness, though,” she continued in a more earnest, almost ceremonious tone.   
“As you well know, it is my sacred duty as your sister to vet any girl who tries to sink her claws into you.”  
He chuckled and shook his head, dunking another plate into the soapy water.  
“And I have therefore made it my mission to spend a lot of time with the lovely Sanem,” Derya announced as if she hadn’t noticed his eye-roll.  
He was suddenly happy that Sanem had gone back to the cottage after breakfast to get the guest room ready for Zoe, who’d be arriving on the ferry in just a few hours. Otherwise he had a feeling his baby sister would have been grilling both of them on their intentions and plans for the future, specifically when she should pencil in the wedding and how soon she could expect to become an aunt.   
Can groaned inwardly at the interrogation he could feel coming.  
As if she could read his mind, Derya smiled ominously.  
“However, after careful consideration - and a lot of probing questions last night - I’ve decided…”  
Derya paused as if waiting for a drum-roll.  
“You’ve done well big brother,” she said with great ceremony but also obvious sincerity.   
Startled, he grinned goofily and looked away, suddenly feeling a little shy.  
“I really, really like her,” Derya added quietly.   
He was surprised to realize how much her approval meant to him. A tension he hadn’t been aware of suddenly eased.  
“She’s so unlike anyone I’ve ever seen you with before,” Derya continued. “And she’s just…a perfect fit for you!”  
Can stopped what he was doing and looked at his sister.  
“I know,” he said softly.   
They stared at each other, sharing a moment of silent, mutual understanding.  
“Yeah,” Derya finally sighed, with a crooked smile that looked so much like a feminine version of his own.   
“Oh, but I am going to need an explanation for the ‘I kissed her the day I met her’, you do realize that, right?”   
Derya smiled at him sweetly.  
Can had to work hard to mentally shift gears as he tried to find a suitable expression.   
He knew he shouldn’t have revealed that little nugget. And now that she’d gone and gotten him all soft and sentimental he wasn’t prepared to fend off her questions.   
It was just that his sister had this uncanny ability to knock through all his defenses, and this was a perfect example.   
To buy time he grabbed a few random items and placed them in the sink for washing.  
“Anyway, Sanem’s smart, funny, and a little quirky,” Derya carried on, solicitously ignoring his inner struggle.   
“And she’s incredibly sweet…maybe a little naïve, but refreshingly unpretentious.” Derya paused in her praises to give him an appraising look.  
“I think I may have hurt her feelings yesterday with what I said about your usual type of women, though,” she said with a frown. “I didn’t realize it was a sore spot. But I actually meant it as a compliment. I mean, Sanem’s so genuine. And of course, absolutely beautiful. In a very real, non-plastic kind of way.”  
He couldn’t help the smile that spread all over his face as his sister kept praising Sanem.  
He was uncomfortably aware that his face seemed to have a decided to play canvas to every single emotion rushing through him, and that he was currently teetering on the edge of becoming a big, gushing mess.   
‘Not your most manly moment, Divit,’ his inner voice commented drily.   
He deliberately turned a deaf ear to that as he fought to regain some measure of control.  
“Which is obviously so much more you than all those overly schooled-and-groomed society types you’ve been chased by since you were eighteen,” Derya chuckled, punching him lightly in the shoulder.  
Her playfulness helped him through the emotional moment and he gratefully latched onto it and played along.   
“More like sixteen,” he mumbled, with a longsuffering eye-roll.  
“Oh, you poor, gorgeous baby,” Derya mocked, reaching out to pinch his cheek. “Too pretty for your own good.”   
She laughed and ruffled his hair playfully.  
“That reminds me, what’s with this whole ‘cast-away’-look, anyway?” she asked in one of her characteristic sudden subject-changes.   
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look this wild before. The hair, the beard…I mean, it looks god on you, but it’s not your usual style. Is Sanem into cavemen?” she giggled and waggled her eyebrows suggestively at him.   
He fumbled and dropped the fork he was cleaning.  
With an awkward laugh, he turned away to hide him confusion.   
He hadn’t thought what others might make of his changed appearance. The fact that Derya had so easily identified the reason for his longer hair and the full beard that was starting to grow in now, made him feel uncharacteristically self-conscious.   
“I don’t know about cavemen,” he muttered, bending to retrieve the fork that he’d dropped.  
“She seems to like the beard, though,” he mumbled, feeling oddly vulnerable.   
“I can see why,” Derya said, reaching up to scratch her nails through it, in much the same way Sanem always did.   
But when Derya did it, it made him feel like a puppy having its head scratched by its human.   
When Sanem did it on the other hand…   
Can wasn’t aware he’d stopped cleaning the plate he was holding until a ‘plonk’ and a splash of water pulled him out of his reverie and made him realize he’d dropped the plate back in the water.   
“Eww!” Derya screeched and jumped back.   
“Can! Hello? Pay attention to what you’re doing. Where did you just go?” she asked, snapping her fingers in front of his face, while wiping a few stray drops of water off her face with the other hand.   
“Sorry,” he mumbled, wiping water off his own face with the back of his hand.  
“Yeah, I’d make you sorry if it wasn’t so obvious that your brains have gone all mushy with loooove,” Derya said, rolling her eyes. “It’s cute but also kind of a miracle that you’re functioning at all I guess,” she added drily.  
“Yeah, well, it’s your own fault for barging in on us so soon,” he countered. “We’re very much in our honeymoon-phase here sis, so you can expect a fair amount of distraction,” he said with a grin.  
“And on that note,” he continued, ignoring Derya’s gagging noises.  
“What made you decide to come for a visit just now? I thought you two were so busy?”  
He wiped his hands on a dishtowel and turned to look at his sister, genuinely curious.  
“Yeah, that was actually a surprise for me too,” Derya said, pushing him aside to continue washing the dishes he’d abandoned.  
“Emre showed up at my office the day before yesterday, just as I was getting ready to leave for the night, announcing that he had a surprise for me. Turned out he had booked us on the ferry over here the next day!”   
“Emre was the one who wanted to come for a visit?” Can asked incredulously.  
“But he’s always hated coming here!”   
“Like I said, it was a surprise for me too,” Derya repeated.  
The she chuckled.  
“Honestly I’m kind of waiting to see what he wants from me,” she said conspiratorially.  
“What do you mean?” he asked with a frown.  
“Well,” Derya said. “I’ve been nagging him to go for weeks now – I mean, I know you kept telling me nothing had really happened between you and Sanem yet, but it was pretty obvious that you’d fallen hard brother, and I just had to come see this girl,” she said with a giggle.   
“Anyway, you know Emre. He’d rather have a tooth pulled without anesthetics than spend a weekend on the island, and he kept putting it off, saying he was too busy with work and functions and stuff,” Derya shrugged and examined the cup she was cleaning.   
“So when he suddenly went ahead and not only agreed to go, but actually went to the trouble of booking the tickets, I just knew there was something he wanted.”  
She laughed.  
“He hasn’t said anything yet, but I’m pretty sure this is him softening me up for something, so I’m expecting a big request in the near future.”   
The cup seemed to have passed inspection, and she placed it on the rack and reached out for another.   
Can studied her silently for a moment.  
“Doesn’t that bother you?” he asked quietly.  
“What?” she said distractedly.  
“That he…I don’t know…bribes you with this visit, only so you’ll do something for him?” Can frowned.   
Something about that whole story just didn’t sit right with him. Sanem’s words about him being prejudiced against Emre briefly popped into his head.   
But no. This wasn’t him being overly critical.  
“No, it doesn’t bother me,” Derya was saying. “I mean, that’s just how relationships work, big brother,” she shrugged.   
Then she elbowed him playfully in the side.  
“Something you wouldn’t know anything about, I realize,” she said with a wink.  
“But relationships are all about compromise,” she carried on lightly, reaching out for the basket of dirty silverware.  
“You know? You do stuff you don’t really feel like to make the other person happy. Happens all the time,” she said.   
Can frowned.  
“Come on, Can,” Derya said when she noticed his skeptical face. “Don’t tell me you wouldn’t move heaven and earth to make Sanem happy,” she grinned.  
He gave her a half-smile in return.  
“I’d do anything to make Sanem happy,” he agreed seriously.  
“See? It’s the same thing,” Derya concluded happily.  
Can bit his lip.  
‘Except it really isn’t,’ he thought to himself. ‘Because what I’d do for Sanem would never come with a price-tag. I’d never expect anything in return.’  
He looked at his sister for a long moment, as she buzzed around the kitchen cleaning up, chatting happily.  
She seemed happy and content in her relationship.   
Maybe he was being too idealistic. Maybe Derya was right that relationships were a kind of bartering system. All about give-and-take, one favor in return for another.  
And as romantic as she could be, he knew full well that his sister’s practical side had always out-stripped her romantic side.   
It just didn’t feel quite right to him…  
But then he shook it off and decided to just enjoy his sister’s company for the next few days. And to keep her too busy and distracted for any further questioning.

***

“So, Gee’s still running the Coffee Pot?” Derya asked, leaning forward between the front seats of the Jeep, as they approached town.   
“Yeah, but she’s partnered up with Ceycey now,” Can said, glancing at her in the review mirror. “Remember him?”   
“Isn’t he that weird little guy with the funny fashion sense?” Derya asked.  
“Yup, that’s the one,” Can grinned. “Gee still dreams of a career on stage…or on camera…not sure she’s all that picky really.” He paused to slide his sunglasses on as they came around a bend in the road and the sun hit him full in the face.   
“Anyway, she takes off to auditions now and then, and leaves the coffee shop to Ceycey,” Can shrugged.   
“Huh,” Derya said. “Unlikely partnership, but whatever works, I guess…”  
Can chuckled.  
“Ceycey is okay,” he said. “He’s a little peculiar, but he’s a good guy. Sanem’s his hero at the moment though,” he said with a grin.  
Sanem rolled her eyes at him.  
“Why? What did you do?” Derya asked eagerly, sensing a good story.  
“It was nothing,” Sanem said, twisting in her seat so she could look at Derya.  
“She ran down Denise and yelled at her in the street for being rude to Ceycey,” Can interrupted before Sanem had a chance to elaborate.  
“Can!” Sanem protested, “I didn’t ‘run her down’!”  
“Well, anyone who stands up to that woman is a hero in my book!” Derya said emphatically, patting Sanem’s shoulder.   
Sanem flashed her a grateful smile before turning back to scowl at him.  
“You weren’t there mister!” she said, poking a finger into the fleshy part of his shoulder.   
“You don’t know what happened. You don’t get to tell the story!”  
“So there is a story?” Derya asked, pushing further in between their seats.  
“Do tell…” his sister said, her head turned towards Sanem, her mane of dark blonde hair swinging forward, obscuring her face from his view.  
But knowing Derya, she was probably trying to hypnotize Sanem into spilling every little detail, Can thought with a resigned sigh.   
He could just feel her practically salivating at the thought of a story involving Denise taking a hit.  
A sideways glance at Sanem’s less than cheerful expression made him decide to come to her rescue – even if she wouldn’t thank him for butting in.   
“Well, Ceycey sure seems to think Sanem were slaying dragons on his behalf,” he said with a smile.  
Sanem glared at him around Derya’s head.  
“Denise was angry, and she took it out on Ceycey - unfairly,” Sanem explained to Derya. “So, yeah, I yelled at her a little,” she shrugged, looking a little embarrassed.  
Then she turned that glare back on Can.   
“But I didn’t ‘run her down’,” she muttered.  
He just grinned and reached over to squeeze her hand, subtly pushing Derya back.   
“Too bad,” Derya muttered, as she leaned back in her seat.  
Sanem cast an inquisitive and slightly alarmed look at him.  
He raised her hand to his lips and pressed a quick kiss to her knuckles.  
“Derya is not a fan of Denise either as you can probably tell,” he explained with a wink.  
“Ha!” Derya mumble-shouted from the back seat. “That’s an understatement. I know you don’t believe me brother, but that woman is the devil incarnate! Just wait and see…” she muttered darkly, turning to stare out the window.  
He saw Sanem’s eyes widen in surprise at Derya’s vehemence. Then she composed herself.  
“So, what’s Emre doing today?” she asked in a not so subtle attempt to change the subject.  
“He’s working,” Derya sighed and rolled her eyes.  
“His phone has been glued to his ear all morning and I’m sure he’s burning through the island’s entire network capacity right now,” she scoffed.   
“So typical. I mean, I know he only arranged for us to come here to make me happy, but he could at least try to join in the fun while we’re here,” she complained.   
Then she shrugged it off and smiled.  
“But at least I get to spend time with you and visit Gee and Jake,” she said, placing a hand on Sanem’s shoulder.   
Sanem turned to smile at her, but Can couldn’t help but notice the small frown and the speculative look in her eye.   
‘See? I’m not the only one who’s picking up on that,’ he thought to himself, pretending to concentrate on the road as the two women chatted beside him.  
He had wondered about Emre’s behavior, and he was glad to know he wasn’t alone in finding it strange.  
Emre had been quiet and distracted ever since they’d arrived - even more so than usual – hardly talking to anyone, barely greeting Sanem, and constantly excusing himself to make phone calls, even during dinner last night.   
And this morning he’d hardly said a word to anyone, and had retreated to Can’s office right after breakfast to make more calls. He’d still been on the phone when Can, Derya and Sanem had left for town, declining all invitations to join them.  
If this trip was supposed to be a way to soften up his sister for some big favor, it was starting to look like a wasted effort, Can thought, suppressing a snort.   
Emre clearly didn’t understand women - and his sister in particular - if he thought just bringing Derya here was going to be enough.  
He chuckled inwardly at the trouble the other man would be facing once Derya lost her patience.   
And she would.  
He knew his sister.  
“…does she still have a crush on Jake?” Derya’s eager voice cut through his speculations.  
“Who? Gee?” Sanem asked.  
“Yeah, she’s been in love with him since we were kids,” Derya said.   
“Don’t go there Derya,” Can warned, catching her eyes in the rearview mirror.  
He could feel Sanem’s eyes on him, but he kept looking between the road and his sister.   
“Please don’t interfere with that. We all know how Gee feels but there’s a reason nothing has ever come of it, so just let it go,” he said seriously.   
Derya didn’t answer right away but she had that stubborn look on her face.  
“Derya?” he insisted.  
“Okay, okay,” she agreed with an exaggerated eye-roll. “I won’t bring it up.”  
She mumbled something under her breath that he couldn’t quite catch as she slouched into the corner of the backseat.  
He watched her in the mirror for a little a while longer, but decided not to press the subject.  
“So, I’ll drop you two off at Gee’s before I head over to Jakes for our meeting,” he said. “That should give you some time to get up to date on island gossip before Zoe arrives,” he added, pulling a face at his sister.   
Derya stuck her tongue out at him, but she immediately perked up at the mention of island gossip.   
He could almost see her mentally rubbing her hands in gleeful anticipation of all the juicy news Gee no doubt had in store for her.   
He shuddered to think what the two of them would be dishing up for Sanem to hear, but realizing the inevitability of it, he decided to let it go. Sometimes a man had to pick his fights, he realized with a sigh. And this one was a losing battle. 

***

Can leaned against the front of the jeep, and looked out over the harbor. Small colorful fishing boats bobbed in the water along the wharf, where fishermen were busy tending to their lines and nets after the morning’s haul. A few stragglers were just puttering into the harbor to unload.   
He was parked outside the ferry terminal waiting for Derya and Sanem to show up.   
The ferry had docked a few minutes ago and people and cars were just beginning to disembark.   
Jake had gone into the terminal building to sort out some deliveries that he was expecting, and Can was enjoying a few moments of solitude while he waited for everyone to arrive.  
He turned his face up to the sun, closing his eyes.   
The sun warmed his skin, and eased the tension that had been steadily building in his neck and shoulders since yesterday.  
He smoothed back a lock of hair that had come loose from his half-bun and breathed in.   
The sun, the fresh air, the smell of the ocean…it all helped ease his mind. The rumbling noise of the ferry engine, the higher pitch of cars easing down the ramp, and the murmur of voices as people started pouring out of the terminal building were like white noise. None of it registered as it all blended into a wallpaper of sounds, punctuated only by the occasional scream from the sea gulls flying overhead.  
He breathed out and let his mind drift…   
But he was abruptly pulled from his semi-meditative state by a tingling awareness.   
His eyes snapped open as he felt her presence.  
He let his eyes roam until he spotted her. Then he sat and watched her approach the jeep.  
She was laughing and talking to his sister as if they’d known each other all their lives, he noticed. A warm glow of happiness settled in his stomach.   
She was gesturing animatedly while she talked. Sunlight glinted off the thin gold bracelet she wore around one wrist.  
Her hair fell in loose waves around her face, sunlight making mahogany reflexes stand out in the dark brown.  
He watched as she raised a hand to hold back her hair that was being blown around in the light wind. Her slender body was briefly silhouetted against the sun through the gauzy material of the white and blue-striped linen-shirt she wore.   
She was wearing shorts today.   
Denim cut-offs he thought, but he kind of blurred them out as his gaze dropped further down, drawn to her toned, lightly tanned legs. His eyes fixed on the way her muscles bunched and relaxed as she walked towards him, the smooth, silky skin practically glowing in the golden sunlight.   
He unconsciously pulled at the collar of his white shirt, suddenly feeling hot around the neck.   
He could recall with startling clarity how that satiny skin felt under his hands when he slowly slid them up her legs, from her slender ankles, up those toned calves, his thumbs dipping into the crease at the inside of her knee.   
He gulped and shifted restlessly against the car.   
In his mind his hands kept trailing up, tracing the curve of her thighs all the way up to her hipbone. From her hipbone, there was a small dip across the flat expanse of her tummy. He let his imaginary fingers trail across the soft skin, followed by his lips. He loved the way she quivered when he traced kisses from one hip to the other, following the line of her panties, slowly making his way…  
With a muffled curse Can snapped out of the vivid daydream and fought to focus on the two women approaching him.  
‘Jeez, Divit, you’re out of control!’ he mumbled to himself, quickly wiping a hand across his face.   
He subtly adjusted himself to hide the effect of his ill-timed daydreaming and plastered a smile on his face.  
“Just in time, ladies,” he said cheerfully, silently cursing the gravelly note in his voice.  
He discreetly cleared his throat, holding out his hand to Sanem.  
She slipped her hand into his with an easy smile, and let him pull her into his side. He pushed his face into her hair and breathed in her scent, feeling instantly calmer.  
When he looked up, he caught his sister eyeing them with a knowing smile.   
But he decided to ignore her.  
“They’ve just started disembarking passengers,” he said, hoping to deflect attention from himself.   
“Jake’s gone to make arrangements for some deliveries and Zoe should be coming out any second now.”  
He automatically reached up to run his fingers through Sanem’s hair, distractedly playing with the silky lengths as the three of them made small talk.  
Derya’s eyes kept returning to his hand in Sanem’s hair, but she didn’t comment.  
Sanem turned around to have a better view of the terminal exit, and he immediately stepped in behind her, wrapping both arms around her in a loose hug, pulling her back against his body.  
He loved that she settled against him as if it was the most natural thing in the world.  
And he kind of loved that Derya noticed it too, he realized.  
Derya looked like she was just about to say something when he spotted Jake coming towards them.   
Can waved an arm in the air to catch his attention, keeping the other firmly locked around Sanem’s waist.   
“I see Jake,” he announced to the two women, nodding in Jake’s direction.  
Sanem and Derya both looked in the direction he was pointing.   
But Jake didn’t see him.   
In fact his friend seemed completely oblivious to his surroundings, engrossed as he was in conversation with the person walking next to him.  
“And he’s not alone!” he added with a frown.   
“Ah, come on Jake,” he mumbled. “Do you really have to live up to your bad reputation at every opportunity? Can’t you even go and pick up deliveries for the store without picking up a woman too?”   
“That’s not a woman,” Sanem said, standing up straight.  
“Well, I suppose I could be mistaken, Honey, but it sure looks like one to me,” he said with a teasing smile that was lost on the back of her head.  
“No, I mean, that’s not ‘a’ woman,” Sanem insisted. “That’s Zoe!”  
Can squinted and zeroed in on the woman walking next to Jake.   
She was petite, wearing dark skinny jeans and some sort of light, sleeveless, flowy top that lifted slightly in the breeze to reveal a sliver of pale, yoga-trimmed midriff. Her hair was dark, almost black, and swung in a poker straight curtain around her shoulders as she walked. She was talking and gesturing at Jake in a way that made him think she was upset about something.  
“Oh? I wonder how Jake knew to pick her up?” he mumbled, mostly to himself.   
“Zoe!” Sanem yelled, pulling out of his arms and waving both of hers in the air. “Over here!”  
But her friend and Jake were too caught up in whatever they were talking about to notice the welcoming committee.  
Can wasn’t sure how he knew, but somehow he just knew that this woman was pissed off!   
Very pissed off!   
And for some reason he felt certain that the cause of her anger lay with his friend.   
The pair had stopped walking and turned to face each other, both of them talking and gesturing, neither of them seeming to listen to what the other was saying.  
Can frowned.  
Were they fighting?  
“What are you doing Jake?” he mumbled under his breath.  
Sanem was still calling her friend’s name, and finally Zoe looked their way.   
She spotted Sanem and waved briefly in acknowledgement.   
She turned back to Jake to deliver what looked like a final insult, and then she stalked away from him, gripping a small blue trolley suitcase hard by the handle.  
She walked fast, dragging the trolley behind her so furiously the wheels were in the air more than on the ground.   
It looked to Can like she was running away from Jake as much as she was running towards her friend.   
Odd…  
“Sanem!” the woman called out and waved her free hand. The dark scowl she’d been sporting was suddenly replaced by a brilliant smile that completely transformed the face under that glossy, almost-black hair.   
She was exquisite, he realized, as she got closer.   
She had porcelain skin and delicate features. A dusky red rosebud mouth with a slightly fuller bottom lip. Lightly slanted eyes with the characteristic Asian fold at the inside corner.   
But what really drew his attention was the startling blue-grey color of those eyes.   
Startling, because from a distance he had pecked her to be of Japanese descent, and he’d expected dark brown eyes. But as she drew closer he realized that her ancestry had to be pretty complex. She was like an exotic, rare bird. A one-of-a-kind blend that had resulted in a unique and fascinating beauty.   
Right now those startling eyes were focused on Sanem.  
Sanem squealed and rushed forward to hug her friend. Zoe dropped the handle of her trolley and hugged her back, the two of them laughing and babbling as if they hadn’t seen each other in years.   
Over their heads he spotted Jake slowly approaching their group.  
His friend looked like he’d been hit over the head with a heavy object, Can noticed.  
There was a stunned look on his face and his eyes looked slightly glazed.   
He approached carefully, like he was afraid to draw attention to himself.   
Can skirted around the still hugging women and sidled up to his friend.  
“What’s going on Jake?” he mumbled.  
“You look like you’ve gone ten rounds with a heavy-weight. How did you meet Zoe?”  
“Zoe…” was all Jake said, still staring at the back of the black-haired beauty.  
“Yeah, Zoe. Sanem’s friend,” Can clarified.   
“Zoe,” Jake repeated, still sounding dazed.  
Can was starting to worry about his friend’s mental state when Sanem and Zoe finally broke apart and introductions started.   
Zoe and Derya seemed to form an instant rapport, and Can had a sinking feeling that the next few days would be tough on anyone with a Y-chromosome. These three women together would certainly be a force a to be reckoned with…  
He sighed inwardly as he pulled Jake forward by the arm to properly introduce him.  
“Zoe, this is Jake. I gather that the two of you have already met…?” he said, patting Jake on the shoulder.  
Zoe shot his friend a glare that was so icy, it should have left permafrost in its wake. Can actually felt Jake shudder briefly at his side.  
“Jake,” she said in a clipped voice, inclining her head slightly in acknowledgement.  
“Zoe,” Jake ground out with a tight, polite smile. He extended a hand, looking as if he half expected her to bite.  
Can shared a puzzled look with Sanem behind their backs.   
What was going on with these two? Something had obviously happened in the terminal, but how had the two of them even met?  
At least Sanem looked as mystified as he felt.  
She just shook her head mutely at him with a baffled expression.  
“All right,” Can said, rubbing his hands together. “Let’s head home and get you settled in Zoe.”  
“Jake, I’ll see you tomorrow?” he added, turning to his friend as the women started loading Zoe’s luggage in the car.  
“Yeah, yeah, sure…” Jake said, running a hand through his mane of messy, surfer-blonde hair.  
His eyes still lingered absentmindedly on Zoe, his forehead drawn in a small, speculative frown.   
Can wasn’t sure he’d even heard him.   
“Jake?” he said.  
“Huh?” Jake tore his gaze from the petite woman laughing raucously at something Derya had just said.  
“Wow! What the hell happened between you two?” Can asked.   
“Huh?” Jake repeated. “Oh! Nothing.” He added dismissively.   
“Yeah, clearly not ‘nothing’,” Can said drily.   
“But you can explain later,” he added, slapping his friend on the back. “I guess now isn’t the time.”   
He waved at Jake and sauntered towards the jeep.  
“Ready ladies?” he asked as he held the back door open for Zoe to enter.  
As they drove away from the landing, he watched Jake in the review mirror. His friend just stood there, seemingly lost in thought.  
Can snorted to himself.   
Whatever had happened between his friend and Zoe was definitely not ‘nothing’!   
And he was definitely going to find out what that was all about, he resolved.   
One way or another.

***

Can shuffled down the hallway in the dark, not needing any light to navigate the familiar surroundings. He’d tossed and turned for about an hour before giving up on sleep, deciding to get a glass of water and some fresh air.   
He missed Sanem.  
He missed her like crazy.  
Missed her scent.   
Missed the feeling of her body nestled against his.  
It was silly, he knew.   
It had only been a few hours since he’d kissed her goodnight, before she’d gone back to the cottage with Zoe.   
And up until a few days ago, he’d been perfectly fine sleeping alone.  
Well, maybe not perfectly fine, but he’d certainly not been this restless, just because he didn’t have her in his arms.  
It was ridiculous, he told himself.  
He was a grown man, not a kid who needed his security blanket to be able to sleep for God’s sake!  
Besides, it had been his own dumb idea to give Sanem some girl-time alone with her friend. He’d been the one to suggest that he stay at the main house with his sister and Emre for the night, so the girls could catch up.   
But no matter how much he tried to reason with himself, he just felt off. Like part of him was missing.  
He was just passing the living room when the night-time quiet of the house was broken by the sound of voices.  
He stopped and held his breath as he listened.   
Had he woken up Emre and Derya?   
But the sound didn’t come from their bedroom. It came from the living room.  
Can frowned.  
He stepped into the darkened room but couldn’t see them anywhere. Then a light breeze lifted the curtains and he noticed that the window was open. They must be outside on the porch, he realized, as their voices carried clearly in the quiet of the night to where he stood hidden by the darkness.  
“I just find it a little too convenient, that’s all,” Emre was saying in that slightly haughty tone of voice that always grated on his nerves.  
“I mean, it’s just a little too much of a coincidence, don’t you think? She’s a wannabe writer, with no money, no connections, nothing but a teaching assistant to a dusty old history professor. And he’s the heir to a well-known, successful publishing house!” Emre scoffed.  
“I mean, anyone can do the math! Don’t you find it at all suspicious?”  
Can felt instant white-hot rage boil in his gut at Emre’s words. He was just about to barge out there and set him straight when Derya spoke up.   
“No, darling, actually I don’t!” she said bluntly.   
Emre made a disparaging sound, but she carried on talking.  
“First of all, you’d have to be blind, deaf and dumb not to see that those two are completely head over heels in love with each other,” Derya said.  
Can felt his temper simmer down a notch at her words.  
“And second,” she continued, overriding Emre’s attempts to object.  
“Sanem is just not that type of person. In fact, I’m sure the thought hasn’t even occurred to her,” Derya said with conviction.   
“Oh, come on Derya, you can’t be that naïve,” Emre said.  
“I’m not being naïve,” she said. “I’m just paying attention. And from what I’ve seen of Sanem she’s way too humble and self-reliant to even think of using another person for her own gain. I’m willing to bet the topic has never even come up between the two of them!” she finished in a challenging tone.   
“Seriously?” Emre said. “You got all of that after knowing her for what…half a day?”  
“No, I got all of that after the first half hour,” Derya replied firmly.   
“You would see it too if you had paid attention,” she added. “Or maybe not. I’ve always been better at reading people than you are, my love,” Derya chuckled.   
“Besides, it’s obviously just a coincidence,” Derya’s voice drifted back to him. “I mean, come on. How scheming would you have to be to first, pick the right professor to become teaching assistant to, then get him to lend you his rental cottage and incidentally have the owner of said cottage be present at the time, make him fall in love with you so you can exploit a family-business that he doesn’t even want to be involved in? Seriously Emre? Don’t you think that’s a little far-fetched?”  
Derya laughed softly.  
Emre made some sort of reply, but it was drowned out by the scraping of a lawn chair as he got up.   
Can unconsciously leaned closer to the window to hear what they were saying.  
There was more scraping as Derya got up too and apparently joined Emre wherever he’d moved to.   
Their voices slowly drifted towards the steps leading to the beach below. Apparently they were out for a late-night stroll.   
Can sighed and leaned back against the wall, slowly processing the conversation he’d just overheard.  
Minutes ago he’d been missing Sanem so badly he couldn’t sleep.   
Now, he was grateful she wasn’t there.   
He would have hated for her to overhear what Emre had just said. She would have taken it to heart. He knew that. She’d have worried that everybody was going to think like Emre.   
Can clenched his fist and banged it against the wall in impotent anger.  
His more primitive instincts screamed at him to run after the couple and punch Emre in the face for even thinking those things about Sanem.   
But those instincts were quickly overruled by a more powerful and much more acute need to be with Sanem, to hold her and make sure nothing and no one could hurt her.   
With no further thought, he pushed off the wall, quietly let himself out the front door and hurried through the dark night.   
He slipped away silently, avoiding the couple silhouetted against the night sky, on the bluff overlooking the bay. He didn’t trust himself to speak to Emre right now, so it was better not to let them know he was there, he reasoned.  
He moved across the uneven ground as fast as he dared.

***

The cottage was dark and quiet. No sign of movement anywhere inside or out. Both girls were obviously asleep, he concluded with satisfaction.  
He thought about using the spare key to go in the front door, but decided it wasn’t worth the risk. What if Zoe got up for a glass of water and he ran into her? He just couldn’t face the explanations right now, he decided.  
So he slipped around the side of the house, and stopped under Sanem’s bedroom window. He was looking around for a few pebbles to throw at the window, when he noticed that the window was actually cracked open a tiny bit to let a little fresh air into the room.   
He mentally high-fived himself as he managed to get his big hand to fit into the narrow crack between the window and the sill where it was secured by a short stay.  
Carefully, he lifted the small metal bar off its catch and let it drop. He gripped the edge of the window and started pulling it open.   
But the old wood of the window frame seemed to be in somewhat bad repair, having gone slightly crooked and uneven with the constant exposure to the salty air.   
He silently cursed himself for not having tended better to the cottage as he wrestled with it. The window kept getting stuck against the wood of the side-jamb, but one final hard shove made it open all the way.  
Unfortunately it was accompanied by an earsplitting screech of wood on wood.  
Can froze for a second, holding his breath as he waited for lights to come on in the cottage.   
But apparently the girls were both heavy sleepers. All remained quiet, and after a minute he started hoisting himself up and over the sill.   
He would have to talk to Sanem about sleeping with the window open when he wasn’t around, he decided, as he slipped one leg up to rest on the sill.   
It was way too easy for someone to enter the house this way, he thought with a frown.  
The opening was not nearly big enough for his large frame though, so he had to let his torso drop through first, followed by his lower body.   
It made for a somewhat inelegant entry, but since the only other person around was fast asleep, style didn’t really matter, he reasoned.  
He was rolling around on the floor, struggling to get into a sitting position when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.  
A flash of white and then the ghostly outline of a human figure briefly etched against the slightly less dense darkness of the window.  
The shadow moved silently and fast, raising something bulky over its head as it approached.  
He reacted purely on instinct, his body automatically going into defense-mode.   
He propelled himself off the floor, and towards the shadow, catching it around the waist before it could drop whatever it was carrying on his head. But his momentum was so great that he continued on, the struggling form of the shadow clasped tight in his arms, until he collided with the bed and toppled over, trapping the shadow beneath him on the soft mattress.  
There was a muffled ‘Oompf!’ as he landed on top of her, and then she went limp.


	36. Sanem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's girl-time and Sanem is finding new friends and allies when it comes to fighting Denise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the infrequent updates. Lots going on...will try to cut the chapters short and post more often in stead :-)

Sanem woke with a start.   
She lay in her bed for a moment, heart racing, holding her breath as she stared into the darkness, listening for sounds.  
She wasn’t sure what had woken her up, but something had pulled her from sleep with a jolt.  
Maybe Zoe was moving around somewhere in the house? Maybe she’d needed a drink of water. Maybe she was having trouble sleeping. New place and all that…  
Sanem knew from experience that this place felt eerily quiet at night when you were used to the constant backdrop of city noise. She remembered having a little trouble sleeping when she first got here. It was simply too quiet.  
Which was also why any little sound could wake you up sometimes, she reasoned, as her heart rate gradually slowed.  
But then she heard it.   
A distinct scratching noise coming from the direction of her window.  
There it was again.  
Something or someone was doing something to her window.  
Suddenly there was a loud screech and the window was pushed open as far as it could go.  
Sanem bolted upright, her heart once more ponding in her chest.  
Someone was breaking in…  
She needed to call Can.   
She needed to warn Zoe!  
A large dark shape appeared in the window and started somehow pouring over the sill into the room.   
Sanem couldn’t quite make sense of what she was seeing through the darkness, but she knew she had to do something.   
And fast.  
There was no time for phone calls. Instead, she silently slid out of bed and grabbed the first thing her hand encountered in the dark.   
The small lamp on her bedside table she realized. She fumbled in the dark for the cord, her fingers feeling stiff and clumsy as she followed it to the socket and slowly pulled it out.  
The shadowy intruder seemed to be stuck halfway through the window, but she wasn’t taking any chances.   
Slowly, she got to her feet, clutching the lamp to her chest, prepared to knock this nighttime prowler over the head if necessary, before raising the alarm.  
A muffled grunt reached her, followed by the sound of feet scraping against the wood siding outside.  
Whoever this intruder was, he certainly was no cat burglar, she thought a little derisively as she tiptoed towards the window.  
Sanem hefted the lamp in preparation. Her breath came out in short, shallow pants. Her hands were slick with sweat where she clasped the flimsy little bedside lamp, and she was suddenly acutely aware that it really wasn’t much of a weapon.   
She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to take a deep breath.  
When she opened her eyes again, the intruder had managed to get through the window and now, his big body rolled onto the floor, making way more noise than any decent burglar would ever make.  
For some reason she found that slightly reassuring.   
But with surprising speed the figure rolled over, scrambling to get up.  
His agility took her by surprise, but it also jolted her into action, driving her forward as she tightened her grip on the lamp.   
She raised the lamp over her head, planning to lead with a good whack over the head.   
Blood was pounding in her ears.   
It was now or never.  
She rushed towards the large blurry shadow, lamp raised high, but just as she was about to deliver a stunning blow, the figure launched off the floor and lunged at her instead.  
Strong arms grabbed her around the waist, propelling her backwards and tackling her onto the mattress.   
She would have screamed, but his sudden move knocked the air out of her.   
Next thing she knew, she found herself flat on her back, pinned down on the bed, her body going limp as she struggled to get enough oxygen into her lungs to make her brain function.   
The man hovered over her, his massive body pressing her into the soft mattress.   
Sanem felt the first flutters of real panic through the rush of adrenalin.  
‘Focus Sanem,’ she thought desperately.   
‘Breathe! Just breathe,’ she repeated silently to herself, as she tried to work up to the scream that got interrupted.   
Just then the intruder shifted slightly on top of her.   
A sliver of moon peeked out from behind the cloud-cover, and moonlight momentarily hit the side of the man’s face.   
“Can?” she squeaked in surprise, vaguely aware that she was still clutching the lamp in both hands over her head.   
‘Wow! Déjà vu,’ her inner voice purred, as the situation slowly registered in her brain.   
“Sanem! Whoa! Easy there, baby,” he whispered, sitting up and straddling her. He held up his hands as if he was trying to calm a wild animal.   
“Can, what are you doing crawling in my window?” she whispered furiously, not even trying to move, as her mind tried to catch up.   
“I could have hit you over the head!” she added, unnecessarily shaking the lamp, still clutched tightly in both her hands.   
“Yeah, I see that,” he mumbled.   
He was laughing silently. She could tell by the way the outline of those big shoulders was shaking.  
“Are you laughing at me?” she spluttered.  
“Of course not, honey,” he said mildly.   
But it sure sounded like he was smiling, she thought resentfully.  
“Sanem, honey, why don’t we put that away?” he added, holding out a hand to take the lamp from her.   
She glared at him – or at the place on his shadowy form where his face was supposed to be - but then she realized that holding on to the lamp was both unnecessary and kind of silly under the circumstances.  
Silently, she handed him the lamp and watched shadow-Can place it carefully on the bedside table, reach down to plug it in, and turn it on.  
A soft golden glow lit up the room.  
And the man straddling her.  
His hair was down around his face, and he lifted a hand to push it back.  
He was wearing his version of sleepwear she noticed.  
A pair of thin black sweatpants and a sleeveless grey top that left those bulking arms on display.  
And he looked annoyingly good.  
“Now, why did you try to attack me with a lamp?” he asked with mild curiosity, looking perfectly relaxed as he sat there, towering over her.   
She huffed a bit, contemplating her answer.   
Her initial fright was quickly turning into righteous anger and it didn’t help that she was pretty sure he was making fun of her.   
“As I recall it, last time you tried to jump me, you thought I was a burglar,” he mused.  
She detected a distinct hint of laughter in his voice, and it only added to her growing indignation.  
“So, tell me, baby, what did you take me for this time?” he continued, oblivious to the storm brewing underneath him.  
She folded her arms across her chest, well aware that the gesture didn’t have quite the desired effect when you were flat on your back, on a bed, with the offending party casually straddling you with an impetuous grin.   
“Seriously?” she hissed. “A man crawls in my bedroom window in the middle of the night. What was I supposed to think?” she threw up her hands in exasperation but wound up punching her pillow instead.  
“You might have been a burglar…or worse!”  
His eyes crinkled and he bit his lip, clearly struggling not to laugh.  
“You did break in, Can,” she pointed out in an icy voice, increasingly offended by his obvious amusement, and still somewhat shaky with the after effect of the adrenalin coursing through her body.  
“Technically, it’s not breaking in if it’s your own house,” he argued with a smile, reaching for her hands.  
Childishly she pulled them out of his grasp.   
“Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying this,” she muttered sulkily, looking away from that too handsome face.   
He reached for her hands again, but she tucked them under her arms and refused to look at him.  
Can went quiet. He just sat there, still straddling her, but not really holding her in place. He was quiet for so long that she finally had to sneak a glance at him from under her lashes.  
He was no longer fighting a grin.   
Instead, he looked worried. As if it had suddenly dawned on him that he might have actually frightened her.  
“Sanem?” he said slowly.   
“Will you look at me?”  
Stubbornly she refused.  
“Sanem, please,” he pleaded. “Did I really scare you? I’m so sorry, honey, I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to see you, to hold you for a bit, and I just…”   
She looked at him out the corner of her eye. He was running a hand through his hair, looking pretty upset all of a sudden.   
“I just figured I’d climb through your window so I wouldn’t bump into Zoe in case she was still up…” he trailed off.  
There was a look of uncertainty on his face, and he once again reached for her hands. This time she let him take them.  
“It was stupid. I’m sorry, Sanem. I wasn’t thinking,” he repeated, looking so contrite she almost giggled.   
“Yeah well, it would have served you right if I’d knocked you on the head this time,” she said grudgingly.   
He tilted his head and gave her a speculative look.   
“Would it help if I let you do it now?” he asked hopefully, already reaching for the lamp.  
With a startled laugh, she caught his hand before he could unplug the lamp again.  
“No silly, hitting you won’t help,” she chuckled, pushing herself into a sitting position.  
He was still straddling her legs, but at least this way he wasn’t towering over her anymore.  
She studied him for a moment.   
He looked like a puppy who knew it was in trouble but was hoping to wriggle out of it with cuteness overload.   
It really was unfair. How was she supposed to stay mad when he looked at her like that?   
Sanem briefly considered letting him suffer a bit longer.   
But if she was being honest with herself, she’d missed him like crazy when she went to bed. And even though she’d repeatedly told herself it was silly, and that she could absolutely spend a night without him, she’d almost given in and made the trip to the main house herself, to sneak into his bed.   
His methods might be questionable, but she couldn’t argue with his motive.   
‘Sooo…why don’t you just kiss and make up? Let him off the hook? You know you want to…’ the voice in the back of her head prompted.  
She bit her lip, giving him an appraising look.  
“No, hitting you won’t help,” she repeated slowly.   
“But maybe…a kiss will make it better?” she said softly, deliberately letting her gaze linger on his lips, as she licked her own.  
He was motionless for a beat. Then, something flashed in his eyes and with a low throaty sound he bent down and carefully caught her lips with his.  
His warm lips shaped themselves around hers, slowly sliding, gently sucking as if he was afraid that she would change her mind.   
Sanem had the weirdest sensation. It was almost like she’d been in pain but the moment his lips touched hers, the pain stopped.   
Weird…  
And then she stopped thinking.  
Can seemed intent on making up for scaring her, and he took his time as if he was imprinting the very shape and taste of her on his memory.   
He slowly pried her lips apart, his tongue briefly flicking along the inside of her bottom lip. She sighed into his mouth and he gently pushed her head back into his waiting hand, as he deepened the kiss. He kept exploring her mouth like they had all the time in the world, nibbling at her lips, the tip of his tongue darting in and out, tracing along her lips, making them tingle, and then tangling with hers, but constantly holding back a little as if he was testing her reaction.   
She let him take control, enjoying the way his hand cradled her head while angling it perfectly for the slowly deepening, soft kisses he was wooing her with.   
If this was his way of apologizing for scaring her, she didn’t mind the occasional scare, she decided dreamily.   
But it wasn’t long before she craved more.  
She let her hands run up his arms, around his neck, her fingers pushing into his hair, pulling and tangling, trying to tell him without words that she needed more.   
And her eager response seemed to make Can forget his restraint.   
A big hand was running up and down her back, pushing her body closer, sliding down over the curve of her ass, pulling at the delicate fabric of her nightie that was caught between their bodies. The kisses were getting clumsy with urgency now, and their combined breaths were getting ragged and loud in the quiet of the bedroom.   
With a frustrated groan Can pushed her back down on the bed, following her down, caging her in with his arms. Sanem happily accepted his weight, gulping air into her lungs in quick gasps, as he licked and kissed down her neck before burying his face between her breasts.   
Something niggled at her mind, but she ignored it as his mouth closed over a sensitive nipple, making her gasp.  
His hands were busy travelling down her body now, pushing up her thin nightie and she shifted to help him push the fabric away.  
But with the nightie halfway over her head, she suddenly froze.  
“Can!” she gasped, starting to push the flimsy nightie back down.   
“Can, wait,” she panted.  
He lifted his head to look at her. His eyes were dark and heavy with desire, and he was breathing heavily too.  
“We can’t do this. Zoe is in the next room!” she gulped. “You have to go.”  
He was staring at her in confusion.  
“What? Why?” he asked, his voice sounding rough and gravelly with passion.   
He frowned and then her words slowly seemed to compute.   
“Oh! Do you think she’d be shocked that we sleep together?” he asked.  
“Actually, she probably wants to throw you a party for getting into my bed in the first place,” Sanem mumbled breathlessly.  
“What?” he asked, a puzzled look on his face.  
“No, nothing,” she said shaking her head.   
“No, Zoe wouldn’t be shocked. She’s all for this…” she said gesturing between them.   
“Then what’s the problem?” he said, a slow smile tugging at his lips. He was already lowering his head to resume kissing her.  
“Me!” she whispered furiously, pushing at his shoulders.  
“I feel funny about having a boy in my room when my best friend is just on the other side of that wall,” she admitted a little flustered.  
“Ah, Sanem,” he sighed with a smile, hanging his head.  
Then he pushed off her body and stretched out on the bed next to her.   
“First of all, I’m not a boy, honey,” he said, giving her a heated look.   
“And second, I’m not going. I’m staying the night. I want to sleep with you.” He looked at her steadily.   
“I really need a good night’s sleep on top of everything that’s been happening and I won’t get that without you in my arms,” he said quietly, looking at her in a way that was totally unfair, she thought, as she felt her defenses crumble.   
“I’ll behave if you will,” he wheedled in a soft, seductive whisper.  
He watched her chew her lip indecisively for a moment. Then he apparently decided to take matters into his own hands.  
He pushed off the bed, walked to the door and cracked it open, listening for sounds of movement.   
Zoe was obviously sound asleep.   
Not much help she turned out to be when people broke into your bedroom late at night! Sanem silently scoffed.   
Can quietly closed the door again and locked it.   
Then he returned to sit on the bed and began removing his shoes.  
“Can!” Sanem whisper-shouted.  
“What are you doing?”  
“Getting ready for bed,” he said matter-of-factly.  
He started untying his other shoe, calmly ignoring Sanem’s agitated shuffling and hair-pulling routine.   
She really had no idea how to handle this situation. But apparently, he’d wasn’t going to leave her any choice.   
He slipped off his shoes.  
Then he got back in bed, scooted across the mattress and wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug.  
She stiffened for a second, but he ignored her vague protests, as he nuzzled his nose into her hair, smoothing his hand up and down her back in a soothing caress.   
He didn’t bother arguing with her.   
He simply held her tight against his body.   
A small shiver ran through her and he immediately reached out one long arm to pull the covers up around them, tucking her head under his chin.   
She automatically nestled her head into the hollow at his shoulder, sniffing the warm skin on his neck to get a whiff of that delicious, clean man-scent of his.   
‘Push-over!’ her inner voice sniggered.  
She ignored it, deciding that she just didn’t have the energy to protest.  
They could discuss his late-night visit in the morning, she thought sleepily, as Can resumed the soothing stroking down her back.   
Her body responded immediately, stretching, molding itself to him.  
He hummed in content and tightened his hold.  
Sanem sighed and settled into his arms, her nose burrowing into his chest for a moment, as she felt her body relax against him.   
She really had missed him…  
Her fingers curled into his t-shirt, one knee slid up and draped over his leg. She made a soft sound of surrender as she let herself drift off to sleep, her body growing limp and her breathing getting slow and regular.   
The last thing she felt before drifting off to sleep was his lips smiling against her forehead, and the gentle press of a kiss to the top of her head. 

***

“Way to go Can!” Zoe hooted and high-fived a grinning and decidedly non-penitent Can across the breakfast bar, as he finished telling her a wildly exaggerated version of the obstacles and dangers he’d faced, in his quest to spend the night with his beloved.  
Sanem scowled at the two of them over the rim of her coffee mug.  
She was still feeling a little shy and self-conscious about the whole ‘boyfriend sleeping over’-thing, not entirely sure how to handle having their new intimacy put on display like that.  
And on top of that, the budding friendship between her best friend and her boyfriend was making her feel…on edge, she decided.  
On the one hand she was glad that the two of them seemed to be getting along. But on the other, she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that they were too much alike and would be ganging up on her on a regular basis - most likely from some silly notion that whatever they were doing was for her own good. But it was making her feel out-numbered and more than a little antsy.   
“What are you doing?” she asked snippily, frowning at her best friend.   
“He broke into my room!” she said indignantly, pointing a forkful of eggs at Can, who looked remarkably unconcerned.   
“Aren’t you supposed to side with me? You know…’best friend trumps boyfriend’…that kind of thing?”  
“Sorry sweetie,” Zoe chuckled, sounding anything but.  
“I’m with Can on this one. All is fair in love and all that,” she said, with a casual wave of her hand.   
Can chuckled but quickly ducked his head and focused on his food as Sanem narrowed her eyes at him.  
Then she turned to direct her glare at her friend, but Zoe didn’t seem to notice, as she cheerfully popped another piece of toast in her mouth.  
“Besides, it’s romantic,” Zoe added with a shrug.  
“Romantic?” Sanem scoffed. “He scared me half to death!”  
“’He’ is sitting right here, honey,” Can said with a disarming smile, reaching over to pinch her cheek.  
Sanem frowned at him.   
He leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek.  
“And I said I’m sorry. Sorry for scaring you…” he mumbled, his lips lingering against her skin for a moment as his arms slipped around her waist.  
Without thinking she started leaning into him, but then she checked herself.  
She pulled out of his embrace and gave him a stern look.   
He didn’t look sorry enough, she decided.   
Not even close!  
“I think it’s cute,” Zoe was saying, stabbing her fork into a juicy, red strawberry with gusto.   
“And kind of hot,” she mumbled in an aside, fanning herself.  
Sanem rolled her eyes at her friend.  
It figured that Zoe would take Can’s side in this.   
When Sanem and Can had emerged from her room this morning they’d run headlong into a sleepy-eyed Zoe.   
Sanem had been flustered and embarrassed but Can had breezily wished her friend a good morning, and calmly proceeded to make them all coffee, showing an alarming familiarity with the place, she thought.  
Zoe must think he’d been spending the night for months, not just a few days.  
But Zoe - true to form - had been completely unfazed by the fact that Can had clearly just rolled out of bed.   
Sanem’s bed!   
Or the fact that he seemed to know her morning routine.  
Obviously, Sanem had felt compelled to try and explain Can’s presence, but Zoe had just shrugged it off. In fact, she’d been more than accommodating about having Sanem’s boyfriend on the premises first thing in the morning, and as soon as Can’s back was turned, she’d cast a knowing look in Sanem’s direction, with an approving nod and wink tagged on for good measure.  
Sanem felt her cheeks heat again just thinking about it.   
Yeah, her friend obviously approved of the relationship, and of Can…  
She shook her head in silent wonder.   
Even so, she thought with renewed resentment, she’d expected Zoe to provide the time-honored best-friend back-up when she’d managed to reboot her anger from last night and had berated Can for almost giving her a heart attack by crawling in her window in the dead of night.  
But she should have known better…  
After all, Zoe had also practically started sending out party-invites in honor of Sanem’s deflowering when she found out what had happened at the cabin!   
Sanem shuddered involuntarily at the thought.   
Sometimes her friend seemed to confuse the norms of modern day-society and the ancient rites and rituals of more primitive cultures that her anthropology studies were exposing her to.   
Sanem firmly believed that in this day and age, relationships and their consummation should be a personal matter – not something your ‘tribe’ took active part in!   
But given Zoe’s…enthusiasm in the matter, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that her friend was now gleefully applauding Can’s initiative, she thought darkly  
“I just think it’s a good thing you finally met someone who’s capable of breaking down some of those iron-clad walls you’ve put up over the years, sweetie!” Zoe was saying with a nod in Can’s direction.  
Can did a mock bow in return.  
“More like scaling them,” he mumbled with a crooked smile.  
Sanem felt a childish need to stick her tongue out at the both of them.  
“I mean, breaking and entering in the middle of the night, to get into your girl-friend’s bed? Wow! That’s determination,” Zoe continued dreamily.   
“Devotion,” Can corrected quickly, blowing a kiss at Sanem.   
“Deviance!” Sanem grumbled, resuming her scowl.   
But the two of them didn’t seem bothered in the least.   
“Oh, would you stop squirming, Sanem?” Zoe said with a giggle.  
“Listen sweetie, I’ve known you all your life. I know exactly what’s going on in that overactive head of yours right now, but you need to relax. You know I love you, and I’m just thrilled to see you like this. You know, happy, blissed out, in love…” Zoe trailed off with a mushy sigh.  
Sanem blushed again and averted her face, only this time it was to hide the smile, she couldn’t fight.  
Can’s hand closed around hers under the table, giving it a reassuring squeeze before placing it on his thigh, holding it firmly in place.   
“Yeah, I know, I know…” she said with a grudging smile.   
“But for the record I still consider it totally un-friendly behavior to side with the boy, against your best friend,” she added pointing a finger at Zoe for emphasis.  
“Duly noted, honey,” Zoe said placatingly, reaching across the table to pat her on the cheek.   
“And on that note…” Can said, giving her hand a final squeeze before releasing it as he pushed back from the table.  
“The ‘boy’ in question needs to go feed his houseguests, and then I have business in town with Jake, so you two have fun.”   
He stood up but lingered behind Sanem’s chair for a moment.  
It didn’t escape Sanem that Zoe had flinched slightly at the mention of Jake’s name, but she was distracted as Can’s hands started playing with her hair, and she relaxed back against him for a second.  
She suddenly had no desire to see him go, all concerns about the propriety of his sleepover forgotten.  
“What are your plans for today?” he asked, while his fingers lightly traced patterns on the back of her neck, sending delicious little shivers down her back.  
“I’m…I’m not really sure,” she stuttered, lost in the sensations his fingers were creating.  
Then she recalled that they had an audience.  
“I think we’ll just hang out here for a while. Catch up…go for a walk. Something like that. I might take Zoe into town later to show her around a bit,” Sanem shrugged, casting a questioning look at her friend.  
“Yeah, I think we’ll just play it by ear today,” Zoe agreed, glancing out the window. Then she threw them a sly grin.  
“Now, why don’t you two go and kiss good-bye properly in the hall,” she said. “You’re obviously both dying for some TLC, and I think I’d rather not watch…I’m still eating here,” she said indicating the half-eaten mess on her plate.  
Sanem felt herself blush again but Can just laughed.  
“Yeah, why don’t you see me out, baby,” he chuckled, his hand gently cupping the nape of her neck, his fingers massaging the back of her head.   
Sanem scrambled to get out of her chair.  
“We’ll just be…I’m going to…” she mumbled ducking her head as both Can and Zoe giggled.  
Then Can wrapped both arms around her, and walked her towards the hallway.  
“See you later Zoe,” he called over his shoulder as he steered her towards the front door. 

***  
It was a nice sunny day, with a brisk wind coming in off the ocean, whipping the water in the bay into small, choppy, white-capped waves. At the far end of the beach bigger waves crashed on the rocks, sending spray flying in glittering rainbow-hued bursts in the sunlight.  
Sanem had taken Zoe out to the tidal pools right after breakfast, leaving them plenty of time to explore before the tide came back in. She’d told Zoe about the time Can had - unnecessarily - come to her rescue.  
“I would have loved to see that,” Zoe chuckled now, tying her hair back in a neat bun to keep it from flying in her face. “I can just imagine that big, brooding hero rushing out here, dying to earn some brownie-point by saving your cute ass, and ending up being chewed out for having a sexist attitude towards women’s capabilities.”   
“Don’t remind me. I kind of felt bad about that afterwards,” Sanem admitted sheepishly. “I mean, if it hadn’t been for the professor’s survival-bible I wouldn’t have known to head back in time,” she shrugged and turned her face up to the sun.   
She closed her eyes and smiled, feeling more relaxed than she had in a long time.   
“But it all turned out well in the end,” Zoe said a little wistfully.   
“You know, I might just try that myself,” she added.  
“Try what?” Sanem asked absentmindedly.  
“Get myself stranded out to here so some local hot-bodied hero-type can come and rescue me,” she laughed, but the laughter sounded strained.  
“What?” Sanem’s eyes flew open and she stared at her friend.  
“Oh, don’t get all worked up Sanem,” Zoe said. “I’m not actually going to do that. Besides, with my luck it would be some rat-faced surfer-bum who showed up!” she pulled a face and kicked a small rock into the nearest tidal pool.  
Sanem looked at her speculatively.  
Something was definitely bothering Zoe.  
She had pretended to be fine all day yesterday, smoothly steering the conversation away from herself every time Sanem tried to ask about her life. And this morning Can had created a convenient distraction. But now Sanem was determined to get some answers. And it was obvious that her friend wasn’t fine.   
“Okay, that’s it!” she said, linking her arm through Zoe’s and pulling her towards a piece of driftwood that had settled where the rocky part of the beach gave way to the sand.   
“Sit!” she ordered, practically pushing Zoe down on the dried log.   
She dropped down next to her, turning slightly to face her friend.  
“Something is up with you Zoe, and don’t even try to deny it,” she said. “You’ve been acting strange ever since you got here. What’s going on with you?”  
Then something occurred to her.  
“Is it something to do with Jake?” she asked before Zoe could even begin to answer.  
Zoe winced visibly at the mention of Can’s friend but didn’t immediately reply.  
“It is, isn’t it?” Sanem pressed eagerly.   
“Well, come on Zoe. Tell me! What’s going on. What happened between you two?”  
“Yeah, well, if you would just shut up for two seconds, I could answer some of those questions,” Zoe snapped, with uncharacteristic petulance.  
Sanem leaned back slightly taken aback, studying her friend for a moment.  
Then she nodded curtly and waited for Zoe to start talking.  
“You’re right,” Zoe said with a sigh, staring out over sea.   
“Something is wrong, but it’s not all to do with that cocky blue-eyed brat, with the over-inflated ego!” she scoffed.   
Sanem felt a smile tug at her lips but kept quiet as her friend organized her thoughts. Clearly, Jake had made an impression…and not all bad, she suspected. But for some reason Zoe was determined to dislike him.   
Interesting…  
Zoe sighed.  
“You know how I started chatting to this guy online a few months ago?” she started.  
“Yeah, I remember,” Sanem grimaced. It had been a point of contention between them before she left for the island. Zoe had always had an active dating-life. Sometimes she had a boyfriend, sometimes she just dated, and sometimes she chose to drop out of the romance-race entirely and settle for a recurring ‘friends with benefits’-situation that Sanem for the life of her couldn’t understand. Mainly because she knew the guy in question had a major crush on Zoe, but her friend seemed completely oblivious and content with the solution.  
But a few weeks before Sanem had left for the island, Zoe had suddenly announced that she’d started an online dating profile and was currently chatting with a guy that she was thinking about meeting.  
Sanem had been surprised and wildly skeptical about the idea. She’d never felt that online dating was particularly safe, and she certainly didn’t believe it was any way to find your soulmate. But mostly she didn’t understand why Zoe would even need the online approach.   
“Well, I decided to meet him,” Zoe said, drawing patterns in the sand with the toe of her sneaker.  
“And…?” Sanem asked, a feeling of dread settling in her stomach.  
“And…it was great. He was great,” Zoe said, in a weird emotionless tone of voice.   
“But…?” Sanem prompted.  
“But it was all a lie,” Zoe bit out, kicking up a small sandstorm with her foot.   
Sanem frowned. She wasn’t surprised that an online date had turned out to be something other than expected. But Zoe’s response was unusual. Her normally feisty and self-assured friend was acting strangely subdued.  
“Did he hurt you?” she asked tersely.  
Zoe’s head snapped around, a shocked look on her face.  
“No!” she exclaimed. “I mean, not the way you’re thinking.”  
“Then how? What happened, Zoe?” Sanem pleaded.  
Zoe looked away again, chewing her bottom lip nervously.  
She’d just opened her mouth to speak when a sharp whistle had both of them turning to look down the beach.  
Derya was walking towards them, waving both arms in the air to get their attention.  
Zoe stood up a little too eagerly, Sanem thought, as she pushed off the log herself.  
“To be continued,” she said, giving her friend a pointed look, before turning her attention to Derya, who’d almost reached them  
She looked a little wild around the eyes too Sanem noticed as the other woman got closer.   
“Hey girls,” Derya panted, out of breath after rushing the entire length of the beach. “Can I join you?”  
“Of course,” Zoe said, just a hint of relief in her voice.  
“What’s up Derya,” Sanem said with a smile, as Can’s sister reached them.  
Derya pulled a face and dropped down on the driftwood log.  
“Damn, I need to start exercising,” she panted, trying to catch her breath.  
After a moment, she looked up, a murderous look on her face.  
“It’s that red-haired she-devil,” she spat, looking ready to kill.  
“Who? Denise?” Sanem asked with a jolt.  
“The one and only,” Derya sneered.  
“Would you believe the woman showed up here at the house, just as we’d finished breakfast?” Derya said. “She claims she’s here for a meeting with my darling fiancée,” Derya continued acerbically.   
“But Emre was pretty vague on how that meeting had come about or what they were meeting about,” she finished.  
She kicked at the pile of sand that Zoe had created moments before.   
“I mean, yeah, the two of them have worked together from time to time, I know, but he never mentioned anything about meeting her here,” she ranted on.   
“And now, the two of them are ensconced in Can’s office, and Can has fled to town to see Jake!” she threw her hands in the air in exasperation.   
Sanem mentally high-fived her boyfriend for his quick evasive action.  
Derya was still on a rant, this time involving Emre’s imminent demise on the grounds that he would take time to see his vile sometimes business partner but not take the time to play tourist with her!   
Sanem wasn’t paying attention, her mind was whirling with this new information. Why was Denise meeting with Emre of all people? How many tentacles did that woman have into Can’s life?   
“Derya?” she interrupted the other woman’s word-flow.  
“I’m actually curious about Denise,” she began.  
It didn’t take much prodding to get Derya to spill her take on Can’s history with Denise, their time together at University where Emre had also gotten to know her, and how she had always suspected Denise had ulterior motives for her business involvement with both Can and Emre. And before she knew it, Sanem was in the middle of up-dating Derya and Zoe everything that had happened with Denise since she’d shown up on the island.  
The other two women stared at her once she’d finished telling her story.  
Derya looked even more murderous than when she’d first joined them.  
“That snake! That man-eating, vampy bitch!” she mumbled, walking in circles around the log.   
Zoe looked stunned and had gone very quiet and serious. Then she started firing question after question at Sanem, her face an almost dangerously passive mask.  
Finally, the two of them stopped their respective questions and ranting.  
“Well,” Zoe said. “It’s pretty clear that the witch isn’t getting the message here.”  
Derya snorted.  
“Oh, she’s getting it all right,” she mumbled. “She just doesn’t care!”  
“Either way, we have to do something about her,” Zoe insisted with a frown.  
“Damn right we do!” Derya agreed.  
Sanem looked between the other two, briefly wondering if they’d forgotten her presence.   
“All right,” Derya continued. “This is what we’ll do. I’m calling a war council!” she announced. “Eight o’clock tonight, your place,” she said pointing at Sanem. “You, me, Zoe here and Gee. I’ll talk to Gee about bringing supplies from town. You two just get ready for a Girl’s night.”  
She looked so fiercely determined, neither Zoe nor Sanem dared protest.  
Besides, a girl’s night did sound kind of nice, Sanem decided. Even if the theme was how to get rid of Denise. 

***  
Half empty pizza boxes had been pushed onto the floor and cocktail glasses and pitchers with leftovers of sticky-looking colorful drinks littered the coffee-table, along with bottles of nail-polish in a multitude of colors and the entire content of a very well-stocked manicure kit. Varies items of feminine clothing had been draped over the furniture as the evening progressed and crumbled pillows lay abandoned here and there on the floor.  
Someone had lit a fire in the fireplace and the flames crackled and danced happily, casting the messy scene in a soft golden glow.   
Zoe was flopped down on her belly in front of the fireplace, her hair in a messy bun on top of her head, her dainty feet waving in the air, showing glimpses of her new ‘Lavender Lace’-pedicure.  
She seemed to be having a serious, silent debate with her cocktail glass, Sanem noticed idly.   
Sometime during the evening, Zoe had stripped off her jeans and replaced them with a pair of hot pink pajama shorts. The jeans had been left in a crumpled pile on the floor followed by the sweater she’d worn over her cropped black sports top.   
Derya and Gee were curled up on opposite ends of the couch, both of them sporting fresh manicures and wearing borrowed yoga-pants and tank-tops. The clothes they had arrived in were scattered around the room, as the need for comfort had started outweighing their desire for style.   
Sanem had followed Zoe’s lead and changed into pajamas. She was lounging on the floor next to Zoe in her favorite white and blue-striped bottoms and a white spaghetti-strap jersey-top, occasionally admiring her own fresh coat of pale pink ‘Negligee’ nail-polish.   
She sighed and rested her head back against the couch.   
“So, what are we going to do?” she asked no one in particular.   
She stared at the ceiling, frowning slightly as it seemed to go in and out of focus.  
Maybe it was time to lay off the cocktails, she thought fuzzily.  
They were on their third…or was it fourth round? She had lost count somewhere between the Daiquiri and the Long island Iced tea, and at this point their Girl’s Night Manicures & Cocktails-party-slash-War-Council had been effectively derailed.   
The drinks had gone down faster as the ideas grew wilder, with no real insights into how to execute any of them.  
“Girls?” she repeated when no one reacted. “Any ideas?”  
Derya shrugged and curled a lock of dark-blonde hair around her finger.  
Gee sighed and noisily slurped the rest of her drink.  
Zoe rolled over and sat up, a determined look on her face.  
“I say we confront her,” she said, throwing her arms wide, knocking over her empty cocktail glass in the process.  
“Yes!” Derya agreed, “Let’s corner that witch and force her to come clean.”  
“And how are we supposed to do that short of actually physically torturing her?” Sanem asked in a bored tone of voice.   
It was what? The tenth time they had been over this scenario? And still there was no workable suggestions.   
She sighed and hoisted herself up on the couch between Derya and Gee.   
Maybe it was the alcohol.   
Maybe it was because they were all tired.   
Or maybe they just really sucked at being devious and fighting conniving bitches who tried to steal your man and bully him into submission.  
Whatever the reason, they were going in circles.  
This afternoon it had seemed like a great idea…girl-power and all that. Derya had been like a force of nature, getting Gee on board, arranging for her to bring pizza and booze from town, ordering the boys to find entertainment elsewhere for the evening…  
Emre had been quick to comply but Can had moped about it for a while.  
Sanem had almost been swayed to give in, but Derya had been firm.   
They were having a Girl’s Night, end of discussion!  
And that was how the four of them had ended up in this somewhat inebriated state, with shiny, colorful nails but very few ideas on how to proceed on ‘Mission Defeat the She-Devil’.  
“No more,” she said decisively, pushing off the couch.   
The room spun slightly as she got to her feet.  
“No more what?” Zoe asked with an oddly concentrated look on her face.  
“No more planning tonight. It’s making me depressed,” Sanem clarified.   
“I’m sick of Denise and I don’t want to talk any more about her tonight!” she said reaching for the pitcher and pouring the last few drops into her glass.   
“I second that,” Derya agreed emphatically.   
“Me too,” Gee piped up from her corner.  
Zoe looked at them all for a moment.  
“All right,” she finally said.   
Then she grinned.  
“In that case, Sanem…take our minds off this evil woman! Why don’t you tell us more about you and that delicious man of yours. Lots of details, please. This party is dying and could do with a dose of hot and heavy!” Zoe’s voice was just a little too loud.  
They were deep into the fourth round of cocktails - a Strawberry Margarita this time - and the alcohol was clearly starting to take effect.   
“Noooo!” Derya squealed, covering her ears with movements that looked slightly exaggerated.  
“Nope!” she repeated, once she’d succeeded in placing her hands firmly over her ears.   
“No details please!”  
Gee was giggling uncontrollably, still cuddled up with her now empty cocktail glass in the corner of the couch.  
“I mean, don’t get me wrong girls, I’m all for sharing all the details …normally,” Derya continued, forgetting about covering her ears as she gestured animatedly.   
“But come on…we’ve been over this. He’s my brother! I really don’t want to hear this,” she said with a pained expression.  
They all laughed, but Zoe wasn’t giving up. She lurched to her feet and grabbed Sanem by the arm.   
“Well, he’s not my brother,” she grinned, as she started pulling Sanem towards the door. “And since we’ve managed to get you sufficiently tipsy for once, I really intend to find out everything about that hard-bodied boyfriend of yours,” she said with what was probably supposed to be a wink but ended up being a sloppy, lascivious eyebrow waggle.  
“So why don’t you come help me powder my nose Sanem,” she said sweetly, as she led them on a weaving course towards the door.  
“Please,” Derya whined. “Can we keep my brother’s body out of this?  
The other three exchanged glances. Then, they all burst out laughing.   
“Sorry Derya,” Gee said once she got the giggles under control. “But that’s just not possible. I mean…have you seen him?”  
The three of them started laughing again.   
With a resigned sigh Derya got up and grabbed the empty Margarita-pitcher from the coffee table.   
“I’ll go mix another batch of these,” she announced sullenly.   
“You three get it over with while I’m out blending stuff!”  
She huffed and stalked out of the room, just barely avoiding a collision with the door jamb.  
“Hopefully the noise will drown you out!” her muffled voice drifted back to the trio in the living room, sending Gee into another fit of giggles.  
“Shush! Gee,” Zoe said, suddenly sounding all business.   
“And you! Hurry up and spill!” she continued, turning to pin Sanem with a determined stare.  
“Whoa! Relax Zoe,” Sanem laughed and dropped down on the couch next to Gee.   
The fierce glare Zoe leveled at her, made her sit up straight and hug a pillow for support or possibly protection.  
“Okay, what exactly do you want to know?” she asked, a little apprehensively.   
“What do you think?” Zoe’s smile was decidedly shark-like.  
“You know - the basics. Like, is he a good kisser? Is that body as gorgeous naked as it looks dressed? What’s he like in bed? Does he...you know?” she waggled her eyebrows meaningfully.  
“Does he what?” Sanem stared at her in confusion.   
Zoe winked at her and Gee giggled off to the side.  
“I don’t know what you’re asking” she said looking bewildered between the two of them.   
“Oh, come on Sanem!” Zoe whined. “I know you’re pretty new at all this but honey, please. You have to tell us something.”  
Sanem bit her lip, feeling totally out of her depth. She had obviously had these ‘talks’ before with Zoe and their friends. But it had never been about her. It had always been other’s sharing their experiences. And she’d listened half eagerly, half embarrassed to their sometimes rather graphic descriptions.   
Zoe was looking at her expectantly.  
“Uhmm…he’s…nice?” she said hesitantly.   
“Nice?” Zoe glared at her, hands on her narrow hips. “Honey, ‘nice’ is a new dress or your distant relative that you met for the first time. But that man is definitely not ‘nice’!”  
Gee mumbled in agreement but seemed content to let Zoe take charge of the interrogation.  
“Oh, all right,” Sanem said, shifting to get more comfortable, setting the pillow aside.   
“Okay, you’re right. He’s more…a lot more than ‘nice’.” She blushed and picked up her empty cocktail glass to hide her confusion.   
“But I’m not sure how to explain it,” she said frowning into the glass, twisting it between her fingers.  
“I don’t really have anything to compare it to,” she began…searching for words to describe how utterly mind-blowing every moment with Can felt to her.  
“I mean…when I’m with him, I feel excited and at peace at the same time. When we’re apart I’m restless and miss him like crazy, even when I want to be alone…stupid, huh?” she said quietly, smiling at nothing.  
“And when we kiss…I forget everything around me,” she sighed.  
“I kind of lose myself in him. In the moment. I trust him to take care of me I guess…and I just let myself drown in the sensations, you know?” she was staring unseeingly into the leftover pink sludge in the bottom of her glass.  
She didn’t notice that the other two had gone very quiet.   
“The way he makes me feel…It’s so addictive, so overwhelming it kind of just takes over. Half the time I’m barely conscious of what I’m doing,” she continued slowly.  
“I want to touch him. I want him to touch me. I can’t get close enough and at the same time I want to step back so I can look at him. I can look at him for hours…And then, when he does touch me, even if it’s just his fingertips running over the back of my hand, it’s like he’s hardwired into my system or something. It’s like a connection that’s just waiting to be triggered. Every time. It’s a little scary but…” she shrugged, still staring into her glass.  
“All I know is that it feels so…right. And that’s just the physical part of it. I’m not even sure I can explain the…awareness there seems to be between us. It’s like, I know what he needs and he seems to know what I need. Even when we argue it’s like we’re honing our connection…although I realize that sounds really silly.”   
She bit her lip, frowning in contemplation.   
“It’s cheesy I know, but it feels like he’s my other half that I didn’t even know I was missing, if that makes any sense?” she ducked her head, feeling herself blush again at the cliché.   
There was a long silence.  
She looked up to find the other two women staring at her in silent awe.   
“Oh!” Zoe sighed, blinking rapidly.  
“Sanem, I had no idea…I mean, here I am asking for dirty details about your first time and it turns out it’s a freaking fairytale! I knew you’d fallen for him, but…I just never realized how serious this is. I think…I think you’ve gone and found actual, no-bull, true love, sweetie! Your happy ever after…”  
Before Sanem could say anything, Zoe had her in a crushing bear-hug, mumbling tearful nonsense into her hair.   
Gee was sniffling quietly, surreptitiously wiping under her eyes.   
“What’s going on?” Derya’s slightly alarmed voice cut through the emotional fog that seemed to have settled on the living room.   
“Are you alright? Sanem? Is everything okay?”  
Derya plonked the fresh pitcher of Margaritas down on the coffee table, not caring that it send splatters flying.  
She was kneeling down in front of Sanem, pushing Zoe aside before the drops of pink, slurpy-like content had finished falling in an arch across the low table.  
“I’m fine, Derya,” Sanem laughed, feeling a little embarrassed.   
“In fact, I’m more than fine,” she added with conviction when she saw the doubt on the other woman’s face.  
“I think we’ve just established that I’ve found my fairytale ending.”  
“With your brother,” she clarified when Derya still looked confused.   
Derya rocked back on her heels and looked between the other three women.  
“Well, I should hope so,” she said with a slow smile.  
“Because I know my brother has fallen head over heels for you, and he doesn’t give his heart easily. But he’s obviously given it to you, and you better not break it!”  
There was a solemn pause, and then Zoe grabbed the pitcher of Margheritas, raising it over her head with a loud whooping sound. Some of the chilled pink goo slid over the edge, and ran down her arm, but she didn’t seem to notice.  
“Cheers!” she yelled.   
“Cheers, to true love!” Gee squealed, raising her empty glass.  
“To true love!” Derya hooted, getting to her feet. “Now, give me some of that before you tip it all over your head,” she commanded at Zoe, reaching for the pitcher.   
Sanem leaned back and watched the three women toasting her love; Zoe, her lifelong friend, Gee, her new island friend and Derya, the day-old friend she’d found in her boyfriend’s sister.   
She suddenly felt indescribably lucky and grateful, a warm glow of happiness and friendship seeming to settle like a cocoon around them all.   
She reached for her own refilled glass and joined in the toast, hoping they wouldn’t notice the sappy, mushy tear-filled moment she was having.   
They were well under ways to emptying the fifth pitcher when the sound of the front door closing made Sanem look up.   
A bemused looking Can with a broadly grinning Jake at his side, stood in the door, taking in the chaos of the living room.  
“Honey, you’re home!” she hick-upped, smiling happily.


End file.
